This type of mining activity is often associated with renewable energy sources (i.e., wind and solar) since these types of power are also generated intermittently. Wind doesn’t blow all the time, and the sun won’t provide as much power on cloudy days — renewable power is categorically intermittent. But bitcoin miners can easily adapt to the fluctuations in these power generation schedules, unlike most other energy consumers.

Hardware lifespans are also a consideration, since repeatedly shutting off and turning on hardware can limit its long-term utility. According to analysis from Braiins, even if miners aren’t running the machines at full capacity, minimal hashing to prevent fully powering down can be a winning strategy. “Miners participating in load balancing programs and those using intermittent energy sources can help preserve their hardware by keeping it running in all but the most extreme peak demand scenarios,” a blog post from the mining company suggests.

Interruptible mining strategies will certainly become more dominant as the number of farms with 99% uptime or higher begin to represent a slightly smaller share of the industry. This will happen as pure-play mining companies negotiate lucrative PPAs with generation companies. And, more importantly, intermittent mining will come to the industry’s fore as power companies themselves build mining teams to either improve or salvage the economics of their power generation plans. Either way, the future of bitcoin mining is bright.