Hashrate Happy Hour Podcast

Benjamin Walsh

The Hashrate Happy Hour Podcast, bridging the gap between the bitcoin mining industry and the energy industry through candid conversations. Your host, Ben Walsh, has conversations with top industry experts from both the bitcoin mining industry as well as the energy industry to determine how they can be better partners in the future.

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Top 10 Hashrate Happy Hour Podcast Episodes

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Ep. 17 Bitcoin Mining Live from Miami

Hashrate Happy Hour Podcast

06/14/23 • 62 min

This episode is very special because not only did I sit down with my friend Kyle Herron but we were recording live from Miami for the bitcoin 2023 conference. We recorded this live on the rooftop pool and had an absolute blast. I think we could have recorded a whole other episode on more philosophical topics but we had to get to the Satoshi Action Benefit dinner that Cryptech Solutions hosted. Kyle is the COO at Frontier Mining. Frontier Mining is a bitcoin mining hosting provider company that has over 25 years of IT experience. They leverage the latest in large-scale mining infrastructure and work hand-in-hand with local governments to ensure that your miners are online, all the time. Kyle comes to this conversation with a very unique and wide spanning background as a serial entrepreneur, extensive experience in the music industry and has considerable exposure to the traditional data center industry.

During the show Kyle and I discuss his transition from music, entrepreneurship, and creativity into the world of technology and bitcoin mining; we dive into how Frontier Mining operates within the bitcoin mining ecosystem; we walk through the differences and similarities between a traditional data center and a bitcoin mining facility when it comes to power procurement; Kyle shares his insights on how traditional data centers are going to start emulating bitcoin mining facilities due to their unique cost saving operations; we discuss what edge computing is and how it will start to decentralize the traditional data center industry; and lastly we wrap up with how small towns are embracing the data center and bitcoin mining facilities as a way to usher in new age jobs to an otherwise stale work environment. As I said at the top, we were fortunate to be able to record this episode live from Bitcoin 2023 and kyle and I had an absolute blast recording this episode.

Today’s podcast is brought to you by our sponsor, the Texas Blockchain Council; a bitcoin-first nonprofit industry organization working to make Texas the jurisdiction of choice for bitcoin mining and blockchain innovation. They will be hosting North America’s premiere policy conference for the bitcoin and digital asset ecosystem on November 15-17 in Fort Worth Texas. For more information, please visit their website at texasblockchaincouncil.org

Support for today's show comes from SunnySide Digital, the leading wholesale distributor of data center and digital mining hardware and infrastructure. Contact their sales team today at [email protected].

bitcoin, cryptocurrency, mining, energy consumption, renewable energy, sustainability, power grid, blockchain, technology, innovation, business, finance, investment, climate change, environment, energy efficiency, electricity production, utility companies, power companies, energy industry

06/14/23 • 62 min

Ep. 16 Politics and Bitcoin Mining

Hashrate Happy Hour Podcast

06/07/23 • 53 min

On today's show, I have a very special guest joining me. I have Lee Bratcher on, and Lee is the President & Founder of The Texas Blockchain Council. If you listen to the show you will know that they are a sponsor for the podcast and have been a very good partner for the show. The Texas Blockchain Council is an industry association that works to promote the interests of their member companies. They exist to combine the influence of their members, to advocate for blockchain-centric public policy initiatives, and to educate members of government about the benefits of Bitcoin, cryptocurrency and blockchain technology. Lee joins me for this conversation with a deep background in policy and government experience as well as a broad range of knowledge of the bitcoin mining industry.

During today’s show, Lee and I discuss what stakeholder management looks like for bitcoin mining and why bitcoin miners should be mindful of it; we talk about some examples of legislation and incentives that bitcoin miners are benefiting from by locating in Texas; We dive into how bitcoin mining is disrupting the ancillary services market in the energy industry and why that is a net positive for the citizens; and lastly we wrap up with how bitcoin mining is having an outsized positive impact on the local economies where these facilities operate. As I mentioned at the top, Lee brings phenomenal insight and perspective on the legislative side of bitcoin mining and the energy industry. These topics are hugely important right now as the US is actively trying to sort out how to treat this new asset class and this new tool for the grid system and so its increasingly more important to understand what is going on locally within the government.

Support for today's show comes from SunnySide Digital, the leading wholesale distributor of data center and digital mining hardware and infrastructure.. Contact their sales team today at [email protected].

06/07/23 • 53 min

Ep. 15 Bitcoin Mining and Renewable Energy

Hashrate Happy Hour Podcast

05/31/23 • 61 min

On today's show, my guest is Chris O’Donnell. Chris is the Director of Power & Environmental Strategy at CWP Energy Solutions. CWP aims to help clients optimize revenues and mitigate risks associated with renewable and energy storage investments. They achieve this through services including AI-enabled Active Asset Management, Computing Infrastructure Optimization, Battery Storage Optimization, and Price Certainty Products/Project Valuation Advisory. With a customizable and client-focused approach, CWP Energy Solutions strives to ensure your portfolio is managed effectively and your assets are protected from market risks. Chris is also coming to the conversation with nearly a decade of power industry trading and business development and so his perspectives on how bitcoin mining is starting to enter the renewable energy scene is a valuable one.

During today’s show, Chris and I talk about how his company’s mandate to build out a renewable energy book was what actually facilitated the move into working with bitcoin miners; we also talk about how Chris’s perspective on the next 2, 5, and 10 years of evolution in the energy industry and how bitcoin mining will play a role in that; We discuss what the hell the duck curve actually is, how it might be coming for ERCOT, and how bitcoin mining can help smooth out that demand curve; and finally we wrap up the discuss on what challenges Chris foresees in the convergence of the energy industry and the bitcoin mining industry in the near future. This was one of my more enjoyable conversations for the show, Chris and I could have easily cracked another beer and recorded a whole other hour talking about all of this.

05/31/23 • 61 min

Ep. 14 Hashrate Future Selling for Bitcoin Miners

Hashrate Happy Hour Podcast

05/24/23 • 48 min

On today's show, my guest is Patrick Guerriero and we explore a slightly different area of the bitcoin mining industry today; we dig into the finance & liquidity side of bitcoin mining. Patrick is the General Manager of the US for Block Green, Block Green is a decentralized lending protocol that gives sustainable mining operations access to fair and transparent liquidity from Bitcoin holders looking to participate in securing the network. They want to become the one-stop shop for the financial needs of mining operations, with strong ESG principles at heart. Patrick is coming to the conversation today with years of experience in the commodities trading world where he was the Director of Research overseeing investments in new energy technologies and he also has experience in the digital mining ecosystem.

During today’s show, Patrick and I talk about how in his past experience a traditional fund viewed bitcoin and bitcoin mining as a commodity but why they opted to not invest at the time; we then dive into how the market was valuing bitcoin mining operations and miner financing during the last bitcoin bull run; We discuss why it is so important to have liquidity in the market and how Block Green is helping usher in more liquidity options for bitcoin miners; and lastly we wrap up the discussion talking about how people and institutions are valuing hashrate as something they can purchase and what the future state of the hashrate derivative market looks like. As I mentioned, this is a slightly conversation than I am used to having on the show but I think that it is important to highlight some of the other important areas in the bitcoin mining industry for you guys & gals. And so with that, I hope that you enjoy todays conversation with Patrick Guerriero.

05/24/23 • 48 min

Ep. 13 Bitcoin Mining as an Energy Management Resource with Sam Copeland

Hashrate Happy Hour Podcast

05/17/23 • 44 min

On today's show, my guest is Sam Copeland. Sam is the VP of Sales at Navier, Navier is a software and infrastructure company that works to help companies develop sources of sustainable, long-term economic growth. Their expertise is in designing and implementing data centers which allows them to offer scalable, efficient, turnkey solutions for projects revolving around alternative assets. Sam is coming to the show with 15 years of experience in the utility industry with roles ranging from planning engineer, to distribution planning engineer, to solutions manager roles and so he is uniquely positioned to talk about just how beneficial bitcoin mining is to a utility company and the grid.

During today’s show, Sam and I talk about what the traditional tools a solutions manager has at his/her disposal at a utility company; what the benefits of bitcoin mining as an energy management resource are and how when it is coupled with all the other existing tools at a utility company you can really start to have a large increase in efficiencies; We also talk about how bitcoin mining is a great way to start ushering in more electric vehicles to the US; and we dive into thinking through how to put a proposal together for a bitcoin mining facility in a way that makes sense to a utility company. This episode really helps highlight why I am personally so bullish on bitcoin mining and to steal a line from Sam how it is a way “to get past bitcoin” and show that this is really an infrastructure improvement discussion that just so happens to also have a perfectly scare asset as the byproduct.

05/17/23 • 44 min

Ep. 12 Bitcoin Mining is a Value Battery

Hashrate Happy Hour Podcast

05/10/23 • 43 min

On today's show, my guest is Eric Neal. Eric is the Director of Energy Planning at Digital Power Optimization, otherwise known as DPO. DPO believes that there should never be another underutilized electrical generation asset given the immensely profitable and readily available use cases of mining bitcoin. DPO was created to help those companies and asset owners better manage the usage of their asset and maximize both operational efficiency as well as overall profitability. Eric is coming to the show with over a decade of experience in the utility industry and has had roles ranging from thermal engineer to resource planning and generation management. You would be hard pressed to find someone with a better understanding of the utility industry and their specific needs and what they are looking for.

During todays show, Eric and I talk about the traditional approach a utility company takes to attracting large load off-taker customers and how bitcoin mining is quickly changing that; we discuss why utility companies are moving a little slower than the bitcoin mining industry might prefer; we dive into the counter party risk profile of bitcoin mining from the lens of a utility company; and lastly we wrap up the discussion with how all the upside for a utility company is actually in vertically integrating a bitcoin mining operation vs. taking a bitcoin miner on as a customer. This summary honestly doesn’t do this episode any justice, there is so much good information packed into this episode. If you are a utility company or a bitcoin mining company, there is a lot of phenomenal insight to be gained here.

05/10/23 • 43 min

Ep. 11 Financial Review of Bitcoin Mining

Hashrate Happy Hour Podcast

05/03/23 • 48 min

On today's show, my guest is Taras Kulyk. Taras is the CEO and Founder of SunnySide Digital, SunnySide is a leading wholesale distributor for data center and digital mining hardware and infrastructure. The company is focused on providing a white glove service that is best in class to ensure that their customers needs are met—whether that is procuring hardware or discretely liquidating equipment. Taras is coming to the show with a background in investment banking and deep experience in building out large, institutional grade bitcoin mining facilities and businesses.

During todays show, Taras and I talk about what the early days of bitcoin mining was like and the contrast of how companies operate today, how complex it really is and what happens when you flip the light switch in your home, different capital allocation strategies for a bitcoin mining company based on the strategy of the company, and we wrap things up with a discussion on how to value a bitcoin mining ASIC server. This conversation with Taras was long overdue to share with you guys and gals as he brings such a wealth of knowledge on bitcoin mining, bitcoin mining hardware and infrastructure, and how that ties into the power industry.

05/03/23 • 48 min

Ep. 10 Bitcoin Mining and Demand Response Programs

Hashrate Happy Hour Podcast

04/26/23 • 63 min

On today's show, my guest is Joe Dillion. Joe is the CEO and Founder of Adakon Energy Solutions, Adakon is focused on providing solutions to utilities, power generation, developers, and municipalities to help them manage or procure large flexible loads and generation for their stakeholders. Their focus is on bitcoin mining, where there areas of practice are site development to consulting utilities, to site optimization. Joe is coming to the show with not only decades of experience in the power and electricity industry but a deep past of bitcoin mining as well.

On todays show, Joe and I talk about legacy demand response and energy consumption control products that have been around for a long time and how bitcoin mining is disrupting that industry, four different products in a bitcoin mining facility that help optimize the total economic output of the operation, how legacy Fortune 500 companies such as Honeywell are starting to catch on to the benefits of bitcoin mining facilities as a tool for the grid, and we wrap up the conversation with Joe’s perspective on what each industry could do to have a better approach to their energy strategy. This was one of the more memorable conversations I have had on the show and the information that Joe shares in this episode will not disappoint.

Support for this podcast also comes from SunnySide Digital, the leading wholesale distributor of data center and digital mining hardware and infrastructure. Contact their sales team today at [email protected].

04/26/23 • 63 min

Ep. 9 Energy Strategies for Bitcoin Mining

Hashrate Happy Hour Podcast

04/19/23 • 74 min

On today's show, my guest is Nathan Sprague. Nathan is the COO at Outlaw Mining, a company that specializes in sourcing and developing access to dirt-cheap power supply, at scale, designed to power high-power computing applications. They work to bring a turnkey solution to individuals and companies wanting to build a bitcoin mining site by pinpointing access to cheap power, developing the land, and getting the site container ready for a mining operation. Nathan brings over a decade of experience and knowledge of utility companies, energy markets & trading, as well as years of executive level experience at bitcoin mining companies.

On todays show, Nathan and I talk through how Outlaw Mining creates these turnkey sites for bitcoin mining by working directly with power generators, where most of these opportunities for bitcoin miners are in the US and the nuances of the different grid systems, which power generators are typically the most advantageous for bitcoin mining facilities and why they stand to gain the most from having a co-located bitcoin mining facility on site, and finally we wrap up by discussing how bitcoin mining benefits utility companies because of their high load factor. This conversation was incredible and I’ve already re-listened to it twice now just to soak up all of the information that Nathan shares. If you want to hear more about how and why bitcoin mining is the perfect tool for increasing more renewable energy then buckle up for a great conversation.

04/19/23 • 74 min

Ep. 18 Fluid Dynamics and Bitcoin Mining

Hashrate Happy Hour Podcast

06/21/23 • 67 min

On today's show, my guest is David Branscum. David is the CCO at Rebel Mining, Rebel is a professional bitcoin mining hosting company that is helping enterprise companies mine bitcoin using their world-class expertise and state-of-the-art infrastructure as simply or as customizable as they want. David is coming to the conversation with a wealth of knowledge in data centers, immersion technologies, and bitcoin mining. He has cut his teeth on many large scale projects and helped usher in institutional sized immersion bitcoin mining facilities.

During today’s show, David and I talk about how koi fish and aquaponics lead to David’s career path into bitcoin mining and immersion fluids; We do a deep dive on immersion bitcoin mining: the pros, the cons, and how someone should approach the business model; This leads us to talking in depth about whether or not overclocking and lifespan is a valid argument for immersion or is it just merely hype; We dig into Rebel Mining’s unique, but straight forward & simple, strategy for expanding their hosting footprint; and lastly we wrap up with David’s advice to new entrepreneurs looking to get into the bitcoin mining space. It is an understatement to say that I enjoyed this conversation, David and I always have a good time whenever we chat and this was no exception.

06/21/23 • 67 min

FAQ

How many episodes does Hashrate Happy Hour Podcast have?

Hashrate Happy Hour Podcast currently has 44 episodes available.

What topics does Hashrate Happy Hour Podcast cover?

The podcast is about Podcasts and Business.

What is the most popular episode on Hashrate Happy Hour Podcast?

The episode title 'Ep. 17 Bitcoin Mining Live from Miami' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on Hashrate Happy Hour Podcast?

The average episode length on Hashrate Happy Hour Podcast is 56 minutes.

How often are episodes of Hashrate Happy Hour Podcast released?

Episodes of Hashrate Happy Hour Podcast are typically released every 7 days.

When was the first episode of Hashrate Happy Hour Podcast?

The first episode of Hashrate Happy Hour Podcast was released on Feb 25, 2023.

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