Bitcoin Energy Markets with Shaun Connell

“You can put on this Bitcoin miner attached to your nuclear facility… and since your Bitcoin mining site can be dialled up and dialled down for how it’s dispatched, you’ve just put a supercharger on your nuclear plant; you can now actually provide flexibility to the grid because you have the ability to ramp your nuke through the Bitcoin mining.”— Shaun ConnellShaun Connell is Executive VP of Power at Lancium and an energy trading expert focused on incorporating Bitcoin mining into energy transition services. In this interview, we discuss the fundamentals of energy trading, the need to balance energy supply with demand, and the symbiotic relationship between Bitcoin mining, renewables and the energy grid.- - - - If climate change forecasts are to be believed, the implications for society are profound. Many believe that the sources of energy that enabled our society to thrive and prosper over the past 250 years need to be replaced by alternative types of energy deemed to be more sustainable. Others fear that such a transition risks millennia of civilisational advancement.The debate around climate change and energy is therefore highly charged. And yet, there is a significant deficit in our general understanding of how the energy system works. Wind and solar are now the cheapest sources of energy, so why aren’t we rapidly progressing to 100% renewable energy grids? If we need to decarbonise the grid, why do wind and solar producers have to curtail energy production? If Bitcoin mining is becoming an increasingly more significant user of energy, why are grid managers increasingly seeking to assimilate it? Whatever the reasons for the ignorance of the energy system, and whether or not it has been or will be exploited by special interests, the obvious concern is that it will lead to bad policy being formulated at a critical time. Knowledge is power. This episode’s sponsors:Gemini - Buy Bitcoin instantlyBlockFi - The future of Bitcoin financial servicesSportsbet.io - Online sportsbook & casino that accepts BitcoinCasa - The leading provider of Bitcoin multisig key security.Ledger - State of the art Bitcoin hardware walletCompass Mining - Bitcoin mining & hostingLVL - Bank on BitcoinBCB Group - Global digital financial Services-----WBD492 - Show Notes-----If you enjoy The What Bitcoin Did Podcast you can help support the show by doing the following:Become a Patron and get access to shows early or help contributeMake a tip:Bitcoin: 3FiC6w7eb3dkcaNHMAnj39ANTAkv8Ufi2SQR Codes: BitcoinIf you do send a tip then please email me so that I can say thank youSubscribe on iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher | SoundCloud | YouTube | Deezer | TuneIn | RSS FeedLeave a review on iTunesShare the show and episodes with your friends and familySubscribe to the newsletter on my websiteFollow me on Twitter Personal | Twitter Podcast | Instagram | Medium | YouTubeIf you are interested in sponsoring the show, you can read more about that here or please feel free to drop me an email to discuss options.