It does not happen all that often that we see digital currency and renewable energies come together in a tangible form. While climate change is a very real problem, it is likely not something cryptocurrency can solve directly. However, the Harvest project challenges this notion. This project uses a wind turbine to mine the ZCash cryptocurrency. It is an interesting concept that warrants a closer look.

The Harvest Project Mines ZCash

While it is not uncommon for cryptocurrency mining projects to use renewable energy, the Harvest project proves to be different than most. Julian Oliver uses a 700 watt wind turbine to mine cryptocurrencies. He is mining only one currency right now, ZCash. All of the proceeds from his mining operation are used to fund climate change research.

This entire concept is quite significant. After all, it goes to show not only that renewable energy is suited for cryptocurrency mining, but that people can use the proceeds for a good cause as well. Granted, not everyone has access to a 700 watt wind turbine in their backyard, but it is an interesting option worth exploring anyway.

Given the focus on climate change – or lack thereof, when it comes to certain governments and leaders – more funding efforts are direly needed for sure. It is sad to see only people with a passion for renewable energies making headway. Although this mining venture will not generate millions of dollars worth of ZCash every single month, every small bit helps.  

To break it down, the wind turbine powers a computer with a Geforce GTX 1080 Ti. As most people are aware by now, NVIDIA’s GPUs have proven quite powerful when it comes to mining various cryptocurrencies. Mining ZCash is still a very intensive process, and just one of these cards will not necessarily generate a lot of money. However, with the electricity requirements being kept to a bare minimum thanks to the turbine itself, the operation will generate a steady income regardless.

Harvest is set up in Sweden for the time being. People can see the operation itself by visiting the Art Museum in Skovde between now and mid-November. All of the cryptocurrency mined during this period will be used to fund nonprofit groups focusing on climate change research. For now, it is unclear which organizations are being considered for this purpose, but we will find out more once the project finishes and the money changes hands.

It seems the mid-November deadline does not mark the end of this project whatsoever. This is merely a prototype to see what is possible. Oliver envisions a future when hundreds of said turbines are strewn throughout the world, generating money to fund climate change research. Mining cryptocurrencies is just one option worth exploring. For now, it is a very interesting idea and we sincerely hope the Harvest project raises a lot of money in the process.