加密货币成为主要货币以后
Bitcoin is still the most important cryptocurrency people know about, and it serves as the entry point of the crypto space. However, every innovative project has to pay its price. For Bitcoin, it is its high carbon footprint created by mining.
比特币仍然是人们所知道的最重要的加密货币，它是加密空间的切入点。 但是，每个创新项目都必须付出代价。 对于比特币来说，这是采矿带来的高碳足迹。
Bitcoin mining works by solving cryptographic puzzles, also referred to Proof of Work (PoW). The miner that’s first to find the solution receives a Bitcoin reward. However, this race towards finding the solution comes with high energy usage, as it’s a resource-intensive process requiring a lot of electricity.
比特币挖掘通过解决密码难题(也称为工作量证明(PoW))来工作。 首先找到解决方案的矿工获得了比特币奖励。 但是，这种寻找解决方案的竞赛伴随着高能耗，因为这是一个资源密集型过程，需要大量电力。
Currently, Bitcoin mining uses 58.93 TWh per year. An online tool by the University of Cambridge showed that Bitcoin uses as much energy as the whole of Switzerland. More important is the carbon footprint of Bitcoin. The electricity generated for powering the Bitcoin network equals 22 megatons of CO2 on a yearly basis. You can compare this carbon footprint with the footprint of a city like Kansas City (US).
目前，比特币采矿每年使用58.93 TWh 。 剑桥大学的在线工具显示，比特币消耗的能量与整个瑞士一样多。 更重要的是比特币的碳足迹。 每年，为比特币网络供电所需的电力相当于22兆吨二氧化碳 。 您可以将此碳足迹与堪萨斯城(美国)之类的城市的足迹进行比较。
This article will cover the following topics:
本文将涵盖以下主题：
how the amount of energy consumed by each blockchain project differs depending on the implemented consensus algorithm 每个区块链项目消耗的能源量如何根据实施的共识算法而不同 possible solutions for the high energy usage of Bitcoin 比特币高能耗的可能解决方案 the effect of the Bitcoin network using a lot of excess and green energy. 比特币网络使用大量多余的绿色能源的影响。To get started, let’s discuss if Bitcoin’s energy usage really is a problem?
首先，让我们讨论一下比特币的能源使用是否真的有问题？
Let’s take a moment to think about where the energy for Bitcoin mining comes from. It’s worth questioning if the electricity the Bitcoin nodes use does harm the environment?
让我们花点时间考虑一下比特币采矿的能源来自何处。 值得怀疑的是，比特币节点使用的电力是否危害环境？
Many countries have an excess of electricity, especially when it comes to green energy solutions. The energy coming from green solutions like wind farms or solar plants is often hard to store or sell when the supply outweighs demand. This is true for many countries, especially China, which is responsible for 70 percent of the world’s Bitcoin mining.
许多国家的电力过剩，尤其是在绿色能源解决方案方面。 当供应大于需求时，来自风电场或太阳能发电厂等绿色解决方案的能源通常很难存储或出售。 这对许多国家来说都是如此，尤其是中国，中国占全球比特币采矿业的70％。
As Bitcoin mining requires a lot of energy, node operators look for countries with cheap electricity prices. Reuters reported that “wasted [Chinese] wind power amounted to around 12 percent of total generation in 2017”. This means that node operators often end up in countries with an excess of energy. In those countries, Bitcoin mining plays an important role in neutralizing the energy market. Besides that, without Bitcoin mining, this excess of electricity is otherwise wasted.
由于比特币开采需要大量能源，因此节点运营商寻找电价便宜的国家。 路透社报道说 ：“ 2017年，废弃的[中国]风力发电约占总发电量的12％”。 这意味着节点运营商通常最终会在能源过剩的国家/地区。 在这些国家，比特币采矿在中和能源市场方面发挥着重要作用。 除此之外，如果不开采比特币，否则将浪费掉多余的电力。
Is it safe to say that Bitcoin does not contribute to environmental CO2 production? No, it does contribute for sure. However, the energy usage and CO2 pollution we think Bitcoin is responsible for is actually much lower.
可以肯定地说，比特币对环境二氧化碳的生产没有贡献吗？ 不，它确实可以做出贡献。 但是，我们认为比特币所造成的能源使用和二氧化碳污染实际上要低得多。
Think about making a credit card payment. Every time you pull out your credit card to make a transaction, you also contribute to environmental pollution. You are not aware of the gigantic server plants of up to 100,000 square-feet to store and process all your transactions. Not to mention other things like their offices, payment terminals, or bank vaults.
考虑一下用信用卡付款。 每次拔出信用卡进行交易时，也会造成环境污染。 您不知道存储和处理所有交易的最大100,000平方英尺的服务器工厂。 更不用说其他东西，例如他们的办公室，付款终端或银行金库。
It’s easy to attack Bitcoin for its energy usage. Therefore, it’s important to know that there is also an enormous hidden energy usage behind the VISA network. On the other side, the Bitcoin network only processes 100 million transactions per year, whereas the financial industry reaches up to 500 billion transactions per year.
攻击比特币的能源消耗很容易。 因此，重要的是要知道，VISA网络背后还存在着巨大的隐藏能源消耗。 另一方面，比特币网络每年仅处理1亿笔交易，而金融行业则达到每年5000亿笔交易。
We’re using too much energy for consensus algorithms like Proof of Work. This energy consumption is also responsible for quite some CO2 production. What can we do about it?
对于工作量证明之类的共识算法，我们投入了过多精力。 这种能源消耗还导致相当多的二氧化碳产生。 我们对于它可以做些什么呢？
As many other consensus algorithms exist, let’s take a look at other more efficient ones. The Proof of Authority algorithm is a good alternative to Proof of Work. Proof of Authority leverages people’s identity. This means that every validating node needs to reveal its real identity in order to be able to verify new blocks in the network. Moreover, it’s a reputation-based consensus algorithm that doesn’t rely upon any kind of intensive mining. It’s one of the most efficient, low-energy consensus algorithms.
由于存在许多其他共识算法，我们来看看其他更有效的算法。 授权证明算法是工作证明的一种很好的替代方法。 授权证明利用了人们的身份。 这意味着每个验证节点都需要显示其真实身份，以便能够验证网络中的新块。 而且，这是一种基于信誉的共识算法，它不依赖任何类型的密集挖掘。 它是最高效，低能耗的共识算法之一。
Besides Proof of Authority, Proof of Stake is a more well-known consensus algorithm. Proof of Stake leverages the power of coins in a blockchain ecosystem. By locking tokens, a user can verify blocks. The more tokens a user locks, the more chances they have to validate blocks. Again, it’s a low-energy consensus algorithm as little energy is wasted on validating blocks as no intensive mining process is involved. Any user who has staked tokens can be elected to validate a block.
除了授权证明之外， 权益证明是一种更为著名的共识算法。 股权证明利用了区块链生态系统中硬币的力量。 通过锁定令牌，用户可以验证块。 用户锁定的令牌越多，他们验证区块的机会就越大。 再次，这是一种低能耗共识算法，因为不涉及任何密集的开采过程，因此在验证块上浪费的能量很少。 拥有抵押令牌的任何用户都可以被选出以验证区块。
There are several ways to reach the goal of creating more energy-efficient blockchains. In short, energy-efficient means that we can send and finalize more transactions with the same energy usage or less. Here’s a list of possible energy-efficient solutions:
有几种方法可以实现创建更加节能的区块链的目标。 简而言之，高能效意味着我们可以用相同或更少的能源使用量发送并完成更多交易。 以下是可能的节能解决方案列表：
Modify existing consensus algorithms to be less energy demanding or use energy-efficient algorithms like Proof of Authority or Proof of Stake. 修改现有的共识算法以减少对能源的需求，或使用诸如授权证明或权益证明之类的节能算法。 Find new solutions like sharding to make blockchains more efficient and scalable. 查找分片等新解决方案，以使区块链更高效，更可扩展。 Use more energy-efficient hardware for mining. Differences can be found between older and newer GPUs that are being used for mining. 使用更节能的硬件进行采矿。 在用于采矿的旧版GPU和新版GPU之间可以发现差异。Lastly, let’s take a look at sustainable mining solutions.
最后，让我们看一下可持续采矿解决方案。
There are several solutions when we look at sustainable mining solutions. For example, solar power can be harvested for Bitcoin mining in regions where there is an abundance of the sun, like Texas. Often, the grid can’t handle such a huge amount of solar energy, which often needs to be wasted.
当我们考虑可持续采矿解决方案时，有几种解决方案。 例如，在得克萨斯州等阳光充足的地区，可以收集太阳能用于比特币开采。 通常，电网无法处理如此大量的太阳能，而这通常需要浪费掉。
Moreover, Iceland has been a favorable place for many Bitcoin miners. Iceland offers freezing temperatures that are ideal for cooling your mining rigs. Besides that, Iceland harvests geothermal and hydroelectric power. This makes energy consumption in Iceland cost-effective and more “green”. In short, Iceland offers ideal conditions for Bitcoin mining.
此外，冰岛对许多比特币矿工来说都是一个有利的地方。 冰岛的冷冻温度非常适合为您的采矿设备进行冷却。 除此之外，冰岛还收获地热和水力发电。 这使冰岛的能源消耗具有成本效益，并且更加“绿色”。 简而言之，冰岛为比特币的开采提供了理想的条件。
Lastly, a hot project called Hotmine appeared in Siberia that used Bitcoin mining rigs as a heating system for homes. Siberia is famous for its extreme sub-zero temperatures during the cold winter months. Hotmine’s CEO Oles Slobodenyuk wants to efficiently use the hot air Bitcoin mining rigs produce to heat homes. It’s a noble initiative that might find ground in the colder regions in Siberia.
最后，一个名为Hotmine的热门项目出现在西伯利亚，该项目使用比特币采矿设备作为房屋的供暖系统。 西伯利亚以其在寒冷的冬季极端零下温度着称。 Hotmine的首席执行官Oles Slobodenyuk希望有效地利用比特币采矿设备生产的热空气为房屋供暖。 这是一项崇高的举措，可能会在西伯利亚的较冷地区找到立足之地。
There’s definitely room for improvement towards more “green” mining solutions. However, as green energy is often cheaper, more and more miners are looking for places like Iceland to install their Bitcoin mining rigs.
对于更多的“绿色”采矿解决方案，肯定有改进的空间。 但是，由于绿色能源通常更便宜，因此越来越多的矿工正在寻找像冰岛这样的地方来安装其比特币采矿设备。
We cannot deny Bitcoin does use a lot of energy, as the basic concept of Bitcoin is based on storing energy as digital currency. This has earned Bitcoin a poor environmental reputation.
我们不能否认比特币确实消耗大量能源，因为比特币的基本概念是基于将能源存储为数字货币。 这使比特币赢得了不良的环境声誉。
On the other hand, there are many solutions to this problem and many projects are being developed that use alternative consensus algorithms that are more efficient. Besides that, Bitcoin mining rig operators can find a lot of eco-friendly mining alternatives in order to reduce their carbon footprints.
另一方面，有许多解决此问题的方法，并且正在开发许多使用更有效的替代共识算法的项目。 除此之外，比特币采矿设备运营商可以找到许多环保的采矿替代品，以减少其碳足迹。
翻译自: https://www.sitepoint.com/cryptocurrencies-energy-usage-problems-solutions/
加密货币成为主要货币以后
