Solar + Mining
Don't sell your solar energy for pennies.
Mine Bitcoin with it instead.
The Export Problem
If you have solar panels, you know the frustration:
• You produce energy during peak sun hours when demand is low
• The grid pays you a fraction of what you pay for electricity
• In Norway, export compensation can be as low as 0.02–0.05 NOK/kWh
• You might even face feed-in limitations from your grid company
The math is brutal: You invest 150,000–500,000 NOK in solar panels, then sell your energy for almost nothing.
The alternative: Use that surplus energy to mine Bitcoin. At current hashprices, you can earn 3–10x more per kWh through mining than grid export.
How Solar + Mining Works
The concept is simple:
1. Solar panels generate electricity
2. Your home uses what it needs first (lights, appliances, heating)
3. Instead of exporting the surplus to the grid for pennies, you route it to a Bitcoin miner
4. The miner converts electricity into Bitcoin at a much better rate than grid export
Smart load management:
Tools like Hive Control can adjust your miner's power consumption in real-time. When solar production is high, the miner ramps up. When production drops, it throttles down or stops — ensuring you never draw from the grid for mining.
With a battery:
If you have battery storage, you can mine 24/7 using stored solar energy. The battery charges during peak production and feeds the miner during off-hours.
Without a battery:
Even mining only during sunlight hours (6–14 hours depending on season), the returns beat grid export significantly.
Norwegian Solar + Mining Economics
Example: 10 kWp rooftop system in Southern Norway
Annual production: ~9,000 kWh
Self-consumption: ~4,000 kWh (valued at grid price)
Surplus: ~5,000 kWh
Scenario A: Export to grid
5,000 kWh × 0.30 NOK = 1,500 NOK/year 😐
Scenario B: Mine Bitcoin
5,000 kWh through a miner ≈ 5,000–15,000 NOK/year in Bitcoin 🚀
(varies with hashprice, difficulty, and Bitcoin price)
Scenario C: Mine + Heat reuse
Same Bitcoin earnings, but the heat replaces your electric heating
Double benefit: Bitcoin + reduced heating bill
The payback period for solar panels drops dramatically when combined with mining.
Grid Flexibility & Demand Response
Bitcoin miners are the perfect flexible load:
• Instant on/off: Can ramp from 0 to full power in seconds
• Location agnostic: Can be placed wherever energy is available
• No minimum runtime: Unlike most industrial loads, miners don't care about interruptions
• Profitable at any scale: From 500W home units to megawatt facilities
This makes miners ideal for:
• Grid balancing: Absorb excess production when demand is low
• Curtailment prevention: Instead of wasting overproduction, mine with it
• Peak shaving: Stop mining during high-demand periods to reduce grid strain
• Frequency regulation: Fast response times support grid stability
Norway's grid operator (Statnett) is increasingly interested in flexible loads. Mining can participate in demand response programs, earning additional income on top of Bitcoin.
Recommended Setup for Solar Miners
Small scale (home/cabin):
• 5–15 kWp solar panels
• 1 ASIC miner (S19/S21 series, 1,500–3,500W)
• Smart power controller or Hive Control for automatic adjustment
• Optional: battery storage for overnight mining
Medium scale (farm/warehouse):
• 50–200 kWp solar installation
• 5–50 miners behind the meter
• Heat recovery for barn, greenhouse, or grain drying
• Significant grid export savings + Bitcoin income
Key principle: Size your mining load to match your surplus production. Mine with what you can't use or sell profitably.
Contact us for a customized solar + mining assessment for your property.