What problems accompany Bitcoin mining
Traditionally, Bitcoin mining has been associated with high energy costs and a negative environmental impact. Critics of the cryptocurrency industry use this as a key argument to advocate for its restriction. However, current trends point to a structural change in the industry. An increasing number of miners are switching to renewable energy sources, thereby contributing to a sustainable economic growth model.
According to the CCAF report, the proportion of green energy used for Bitcoin production exceeded 52% in 2025. In 2022, this figure was less than 38%.
The structure of energy consumption in the crypto industry is as follows:
– renewable sources: 42.6%;
– nuclear energy: 9.8%;
– gas accounted for 38.3% (up from 25% in a few years).
energy generated by coal-fired thermal power plants has fallen from 36.6% to around 9%.
Thus, the sector is clearly shifting towards cleaner, less carbon-intensive energy sources.
CCAF has conducted a sector analysis based on a survey of 49 cryptocurrency companies. Collectively, these companies account for around 48% of the capacity that executes transactions in the blockchain ecosystem. The identified companies conduct mining operations in 23 states. As stated in the document, the key players are based in North America and account for more than 75% of all respondents. While this may affect the reliability of the research results, it does demonstrate general trends in the crypto sector.
Experts also outlined the problems faced by miners. Among them are:
1. Rising energy costs. The average electricity tariff for companies is approximately US$0.045 per kWh. At the same time, the power supply accounts for over 80% of all operating costs.
2. Regulatory uncertainty is another issue. Market participants point to the imperfections in the legislative framework, which hinder the further development of the industry.
3. Pricing instability. The value of Bitcoin depends on many factors, including the volatility of the global economy.
Nevertheless, miners are willing to invest in the industry. To this end, they are devising various strategies to stabilise operations.
Ways to manage risks
Representatives of the surveyed companies say that the most effective step is business diversification. They consider artificial intelligence and high-performance computing (HPC) technologies to be promising areas for this purpose. Some market players also use hedging mechanisms to optimise energy costs. Additionally, companies are seeking to increase capacity, viewing this as a means of strengthening their competitive position in the market.
However, scaling up the business also presents a number of challenges. Respondents cite limited space for mining as a key challenge. Disruption to ASIC miner supply chains also puts pressure on expansion. The difficulty of obtaining financing is another obstacle.
