Cryptocurrency Mining from an Economic and Environmental Perspective. Analysis of the Most and Least Sustainable Countries

There are different studies that point out that the price of electricity is a fundamental factor that will influence the mining decision, due to the cost it represents. There is also an ongoing debate about the pollution generated by cryptocurrency mining, and whether or not the use of renewable ene...

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Main Authors: Sergio Luis Náñez Alonso, Javier Jorge-Vázquez, Miguel Ángel Echarte Fernández, Ricardo Francisco Reier Forradellas
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-07-01
Series:Energies
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/14/4254
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author Sergio Luis Náñez Alonso
Javier Jorge-Vázquez
Miguel Ángel Echarte Fernández
Ricardo Francisco Reier Forradellas
author_facet Sergio Luis Náñez Alonso
Javier Jorge-Vázquez
Miguel Ángel Echarte Fernández
Ricardo Francisco Reier Forradellas
author_sort Sergio Luis Náñez Alonso
collection DOAJ
description There are different studies that point out that the price of electricity is a fundamental factor that will influence the mining decision, due to the cost it represents. There is also an ongoing debate about the pollution generated by cryptocurrency mining, and whether or not the use of renewable energies will solve the problem of its sustainability. In our study, starting from the Environmental Performance Index (EPI), we have considered several determinants of cryptocurrency mining: energy price, how that energy is generated, temperature, legal constraints, human capital, and R&D&I. From this, via linear regression, we recalculated this EPI by including the above factors that affect cryptocurrency mining in a sustainable way. The study determines, once the EPI has been readjusted, that the most sustainable countries to perform cryptocurrency mining are Denmark and Germany. In fact, of the top ten countries eight of them are European (Denmark, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Finland, Austria, and the United Kingdom); and the remaining two are Asian (South Korea and Japan).
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spelling doaj.art-a20197c5162f46718817d65fade1d4ca2023-11-22T03:42:36ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732021-07-011414425410.3390/en14144254Cryptocurrency Mining from an Economic and Environmental Perspective. Analysis of the Most and Least Sustainable CountriesSergio Luis Náñez Alonso0Javier Jorge-Vázquez1Miguel Ángel Echarte Fernández2Ricardo Francisco Reier Forradellas3DEKIS Research Group, Department of Economics, Catholic University of Avila, 05005 Ávila, SpainDEKIS Research Group, Department of Economics, Catholic University of Avila, 05005 Ávila, SpainDEKIS Research Group, Department of Economics, Catholic University of Avila, 05005 Ávila, SpainDEKIS Research Group, Department of Economics, Catholic University of Avila, 05005 Ávila, SpainThere are different studies that point out that the price of electricity is a fundamental factor that will influence the mining decision, due to the cost it represents. There is also an ongoing debate about the pollution generated by cryptocurrency mining, and whether or not the use of renewable energies will solve the problem of its sustainability. In our study, starting from the Environmental Performance Index (EPI), we have considered several determinants of cryptocurrency mining: energy price, how that energy is generated, temperature, legal constraints, human capital, and R&D&I. From this, via linear regression, we recalculated this EPI by including the above factors that affect cryptocurrency mining in a sustainable way. The study determines, once the EPI has been readjusted, that the most sustainable countries to perform cryptocurrency mining are Denmark and Germany. In fact, of the top ten countries eight of them are European (Denmark, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Finland, Austria, and the United Kingdom); and the remaining two are Asian (South Korea and Japan).https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/14/4254sustainable miningcryptocurrency miningenergetic sustainabilitysustainabilitysustainability of cryptocurrenciescryptocurrencies
spellingShingle Sergio Luis Náñez Alonso
Javier Jorge-Vázquez
Miguel Ángel Echarte Fernández
Ricardo Francisco Reier Forradellas
Cryptocurrency Mining from an Economic and Environmental Perspective. Analysis of the Most and Least Sustainable Countries
Energies
sustainable mining
cryptocurrency mining
energetic sustainability
sustainability
sustainability of cryptocurrencies
cryptocurrencies
title Cryptocurrency Mining from an Economic and Environmental Perspective. Analysis of the Most and Least Sustainable Countries
title_full Cryptocurrency Mining from an Economic and Environmental Perspective. Analysis of the Most and Least Sustainable Countries
title_fullStr Cryptocurrency Mining from an Economic and Environmental Perspective. Analysis of the Most and Least Sustainable Countries
title_full_unstemmed Cryptocurrency Mining from an Economic and Environmental Perspective. Analysis of the Most and Least Sustainable Countries
title_short Cryptocurrency Mining from an Economic and Environmental Perspective. Analysis of the Most and Least Sustainable Countries
title_sort cryptocurrency mining from an economic and environmental perspective analysis of the most and least sustainable countries
topic sustainable mining
cryptocurrency mining
energetic sustainability
sustainability
sustainability of cryptocurrencies
cryptocurrencies
url https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/14/4254
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