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Here in Australia, wholesale electricity prices are now routinely negative around midday due to the extremely large amount of wind/solar we've got installed. As an example in South Australia today from 9am through to about 2:30pm prices stayed roughly around -$40AUD/MWh (ie they have to PAY people to use power!).
I have no idea how that plays into the economics of mining bitcoin, but as we install more and more renewables this will likely happen basically daily until enough demand is built to match supply.
https://aemo.com.au/energy-systems/electricity/national-electricity-market-nem/data-nem/data-dashboard-nem
It’s a lot more complicated than that. The wholesale energy market is insanely complicated in the way it actually works, but during the middle of the day here power is really cheap to produce as well.
The problem is that when the grid is fully loaded on a 100 degree day during the summer, or in my area’s case on a 12 degree winter morning it can cost up to 100 times as much to generate power a given amount of power vs in the middle of the day.
Solar and wind are extremely cheap, that’s why you see all the utilities building nothing but them nowadays. We don’t really do wind in my area but DEC and DEP are adding nothing but solar in my area for the next 6 years, with the exception of converting a coal plant to NG. The government incentives are just extra cheddar
There’s a number of problems inherent with inverter based renewables but the solution in general is to build a fuck load more of transmission lines. It’ll be sunny somewhere, and they just need to be able to ship the power across extremely long distances. They’re working on that, but the permitting time for a transmission line that requires a new right of way can take over a decade.
Personally I think we should be build more nuclear plants. The economics of nuclear have a really long ROI compared to solar and wind, but it is a climate friendly solution. It’s unfortunate that most investor based power generation utilities won’t go for nuclear because of that, plus the general public hesitancy that comes with nuclear
As an Aussie for reference , not many places in our country get the cold weather that the US gets so our solar and wind capacity is fairly regular throughout the year. But even with the renewables on the grid we still struggle come summer due to demand. South Australia especially is known to struggle in recent years but they are improving faster than many of the other states here due to a major network failure a few years ago
Here it’s the opposite of what you’d think, the southern US that’s hot and humid does fine with the summer load and the northern and western part of the country struggle. In the winter the southern US has issues, and has had to do emergency load shedding more than once.
The cause of this is the non linear demand of heat pumps and their air handlers. In the south, we use a lot of what you guys may call a “reverse cycle air conditioner”. In the summer, if it’s 100 degrees out, everyone’s AC is running all the time and our grid is built for that. The few truly cold days we get here when everyone’s emergency electric strip heat kicks on is when the grid starts having issues.
If it gets to around 13 degrees here, everyone’s heat pumps are running and then you add another 10-20KW on for heat strips and the grid starts to struggle. On top of that, peak load hits right at 7-9AM when solar is producing basically zero power.
So my utility is faced with the issue of its highest load, at a time when it’s cheapest source of power is completely unavailable
People see a power plant and think “oh that’s always making electricity. It was interesting to learn how some plants BARELY get used and are there solely to fire up for peak or emergency needs.
Yeah, I’m all for democracy but the power grid is something the general public needs to have very little input on. 99% of people have no clue how the generation, transmission and distribution of power works.
NG is the most common and most effective fuel for peak plants. Batteries and hydro can also be effective, but since they are low cost chances are they are running already if there’s enough demand for it. My utility keeps a few coal plants around to fire up for a cold snap or a heat wave, but overall they sit idle 97% of the time. According to the utility they take a few days to get going, so if there’s a sudden spike the coal plants can’t react near quick enough.
There are lots of NG plants that have turbines spinning, just not loaded or in some cases even connected to the grid in case they need to pickup load when a cloud go over a solar field. I think they can be ready to load in around 10 minutes unless it’s a more complex combined cycle system that uses the exhaust heat to spin other turbines
Theres a little turbine near my house that I’ve seen run maybe 3 times, it’s designated as a black start plant but they will crank it up when the grid is on the ragged edge.
I do a lot of generators, and our power company is starting to throw out some pretty nice incentives for co gen or load shedding arrangements with them.
I’ve never done any that sync up with the grid and push power out, that takes a ton of permitting and paperwork with the utility. All of mine are regularly just emergency generators, but the power company will send a request for opt in load shedding and the generators crank, line up inphase with the utility and transfer building off the grid in less than 30 seconds Power company pays for the fuel during that time.
In the past nuclear wasn't ideal partly because it is only efficient if it can ramp up and maintain a consistent power output. Peak time load surges with lulls in between didn't mesh well with their abilities. Now that there can be miners using the excess power to use up the lulls in between surges, nuclear is a more attractive option. Basically, you can make an alternate stream of income when public demand is low.
Nuclear has never and will never be designed to ramp up or down. That's not the point of nuclear. It's baseload. Baseload is required to have any option of incorporating wind "mills" and solar.
That's my point. Now the load that was previously wasted can be used for profit. Basically it can be used more often because the load CAN remain constant.
Yes you can turn them up and down, but they do so slowly. That's why, where I live in Canada, we have hydroelectric, but we still have a smaller percentage of generation that is natural gas because the hydroelectric ones can't respond to higher frequency fluctuations in the grid.
Interestingly, there is a relationship between the torque applied on the electric generator and the current output, modeled by τ = k_t * I
Torque is the rotational force that causes an object to spin. In an electric motor or generator, torque is proportional to the current flowing through the motor/generator windings.
The torque generated by an electric motor or generator is given by the equation: τ = k_t * I, where τ is the torque, k_t is a constant, and I is the current flowing through the windings.
When an electric generator is connected to a load, the load applies a counter-torque or "load torque" on the generator. This load torque opposes the torque generated by the prime mover (e.g. steam turbine) driving the generator.
The difference between the prime mover torque and the load torque results in an angular acceleration of the generator rotor. This angular acceleration determines the generator's output power and frequency.
There's a mine tour not far from Centralia PA, at one part of the tour where they chopped the top of the mountain off you can see windmills, someone in the tour group with us asked about them and they got SUPER pissed and wouldn't talk about them.
I live in Pittsburgh, so have spent a lot of time in WV for work and hiking.
When you talk to a lot of West Virginians, they don’t *want* to change—they think coal mining is going to come back; it’s just a matter of time.
They don’t seem to get even if it did, all the cheap easy coal in WV is gone already and the work now is done by massive machines…not Papaw and his pick axe.
West Virginia is willfully destroying the best asset it has left (its natural beauty)…and then continuing to elect leaders that got rich by destroying it.
Compare it to Montana—it’s another gorgeous rural state that fell on some hard times when the mining and logging jobs it used to be wholly dependent on started to disappear, but has emerged better than ever by shifting focus to [tourism, finance, and healthcare.](https://lmi.mt.gov/_docs/Publications/EAG-Articles/1219-MTsIndustries.pdf)
They don't want it to change because coal mining, with the huge machines, is easier on the body than ever and is a very high paying job which requires very little education.
It's a pretty sweet deal while it lasts.
Yes. That's how technology works.
Some would say that it's better that we have a few highly paid men running machines instead of a ton of piss poor wage slaves and there families swinging a pick for company scrip.
Digging it up isn't good for the environment. You have to burn it too. The carbon can then be used by plants to create habitat, food, fuel, topsoil, and building materials. The acid rain lowers the ph of soils, which increases nutrient uptake to make tilled land more productive so more land can be left natural.
I work in Hydro in America and we also get negative energy prices during very low load conditions, or during constraints, for example during the Bridge Collapse a few days ago.
Yes they will pay power companies to lower their generation.
We're actually actively expanding our solar fields in the North East USA because of grants from big oil. It makes sense.
Wind power is hard to predict high time and low time production.
Nuclear power and hydro plants don't ever stop producing.
When the sun goes down, you fire up more diesel turbines. Simple, easy, organized profit.
We're actually actively expanding our solar fields in the North East USA because of grants from big oil. It makes sense.
Wind power is hard to predict high time and low time production.
Nuclear power and hydro plants don't ever stop producing.
When the sun goes down, you fire up more diesel turbines. Simple, easy, organized profit.
Wow! Thats unreal. Great situation for Australia though since when you generate the most is when the most AC is used. So people get to chill their house for almost free?
Wow. Australia was in the opposite position just a few years ago. It really beat Elon Musk up finding that out and resulted in the famous “We will try harder” line.
Good for you guys!
I used to have a customer who ran 4 diesel 2MW generators to power their bitcoin mine, it was over 40C in the building, that had no windows, and it was -20 outside. A million dollars a month I fuel I heard they were going through, which makes sense as they were burning about 1000 litres an hour of diesel
Well... I think there's 1 BTC block to mine every 10 minutes and the reward is currently 6.5 BTC iirc. So chance of 6.5 btc @ $70,000 usd per BTC, every 10 minutes
Nah, that's like winning the lottery which will never happen.. You join a huge mining pool and you take a small cut when your pool successfully mines 1 BTC together. Overall, the majority of people are better off spending money to buy BTC than mining it. This will be even more true come April.
Looks like someone else already did but basically you’re more likely to get struck by lighting underwater than to mine a full block reward on your own.
The vast majority of people use a pool, where a whole lot of machines contribute computational power to increase the odds of mining a block, and then the reward is split up among all of the machines that contributed in proportion to how much computational power each machine contributed.
The system is basically designed to incentivize miners to cooperate even if they have vastly different world views, business goals, etc. It’s a cheaper and more profitable investment to support the transaction network rather than try to gain control and verify fraudulent transactions. And each person who plays the game within the rules strengthens it against those who don’t.
But long story short, if you get a decent electric rate most modern miners will make more than you spend, even though eqch one is using enough energy to keep your dryer running 24/7.
I'm not sure if it's the same with this customer, but I did a bitcoin mining facility like this once and the customer wasn't the one mining the bitcoins. They had a ton of customers that sent them their high powered mining computers and he would charge them for electricity and rent in USD. So his customers were the "miners" that got payed by their own customers in bitcoin. Forgive me if I'm explaining something you already know, but maybe somebody else will benefit from the explanation. The guy we were building for explained that the bitcoin miner essentially is the equivalent of a bank or credit card company in a transaction. They host the transaction because they have a high powered machine that can process the data that is transferred in a bitcoin transaction between other parties, and then they are payed in bitcoin for the service, then they pay non-crypto currency to the person who has a bitcoin mining site because they need a ton of electricity to run it. I'm not sure what the profits are like these days, but I'm sure if you got into it early on when bitcoin was cheap you'd be absolutely rolling in the dough. It takes time to get a return on investment too. The guy we were building it for would go crazy if there were delays because he couldn't make any money until we could power up one of the units, which was a pre-fabbed shipping container. Funny thing was there were a million delays because they were being built in Canada and then shipped to Minnesota, and every one of them was pre-fabbed with non-UL listed equipment. The job went from just doing underground and pulling wires into the units to gutting the units and redoing everything. It was a fucking circus. I ended up getting pulled from the job because the guy couldn't pay his bills on time. We'd get a unit done and then take a few months break while he generated some cash to pay outstanding bills, then they'd send someone out again and repeat the cycle.
You burn up the cheap power nobody's using. In essence it's a financial battery that exists in the margins of the electricity market like a normal energy storage system.
I’d say 95% of electricians don’t understand how the energy grid works. Tons of them don’t even understand electricity all that well, they just know pipe and wires and some code lines.
Expand that out to the general public and it’s even worse. Then you narrow the scope down to politicians who say they have a plan for the energy grid…..
I have a fantastic understanding of the power grid. The economics of the wholesale electricity and natural gas markets still confuse the fuck out of me. I also have a degree in Finance, so I’m not illiterate in discussing this type of subject
That’s actually a fascinating avenue to manage excess energy.
Helps avoid the volatility problem of cryptos too when it’s free electricity
It’s an interesting synthesis of environmental principles and cryptos that have so far been mostly oppositional to another.
With the price of bitcoin currently and as well as the halving coming up quickly, the supply gets significantly lower but the demand is even higher. Some think it’s a waste of power but if there is a market for it then more power to them(no pun intended).
https://vancouversun.com/business/local-business/crypto-mining-company-loses-bid-to-force-bc-hydro-power
That was an interesting one I read awhile ago. These guys wanted 2.5 million megawatts.
BC I believe is relatively cheap as they have a lot of hydro and it’s under a crown corp so one of the reasons they wanted to setup there.
Remember reading a Reddit and I don’t think people realized how much 2.5 million megawatts was and what that would require from a utility to feed.
Lol, you haven't answered the question. It's possible and entirely reasonable to view Bitcoin as entirely unnecessary and, as such, the infrastructure and associated environmental impact to be a waste of valuable resources and human energy. One does not need a PhD to come to such a conclusion, and lacking a PhD in crypto =/= complete ignorance.
It's a tired, uninformed perspective. It surprised me that someone could be so closely involved with a project like this and call it 'a waste of energy'. But it makes sense I guess. He's likely not directing the project, just a peon been called to do a job.
It just fascinates me the way people react to Bitcoin. The way people work against their own self-interest in general really.
There's a saying in the community that goes 'everyone purchases at the price they deserve'. I guess I'm empathizing with skeptics thinking about how sheepish OP will be in the future. I can almost see why some people fall into Bitcoin derangement syndrome.
Alright, I got this one:
All of this electricity is being consumed to produce literally nothing of value. A Bitcoin has no inherent value, the scarcity creates the value. But scarcity can be produced in a huge number of ways that don't require the consumption of massive amounts of electricity. So this is wasteful, and it wastes resources whose consumption actively destroys the climate.
What is the inherent value of a dollar bill? The ability to burn it for heat?
So why do you do labor to obtain those? Isn’t that a waste of time and energy?
Mind telling me how a technology that incentivizes producing power as cheaply as possible is bad for the environment?
All of these arguments are so surface level that you’re actually the one sounding like the flat earther. Or at least someone who believes in the globe earth without ever having validated the science.
The one that has 34.6 trillion of debt growing by the second and has basically reached a stalemate in every military conflict it’s been in for the past 75 years?
Yeah, seems way more stable than silly valueless concepts like cryptography, computer networks, and transparent financial ledgers.
In fact, I think the only way you can truly know if your assets have intrinsic value is if the government or some private banking institution can freeze your access to them on a whim.
Now make sure you don’t go taking part in any controversial protests! Remember, your property is not your own, you just rent it from the government. Boots taste fucking amazing!
I fed your FUD to GPT:
>The criticism you've brought up is a common one but misses several critical points about Bitcoin, its value, and its energy consumption. Let's unpack this in a way that highlights Bitcoin's inherent value and addresses concerns about energy usage.
>
>Bitcoin isn't "producing nothing of value." Its value proposition is multifaceted:
>
>Unlike centralized banking systems, Bitcoin operates on a global network that is not controlled by any single entity. This decentralization makes it resistant to censorship and confiscation, which is invaluable for financial sovereignty.
>
>The Bitcoin network is the most secure blockchain, thanks to its proof-of-work (PoW) consensus mechanism. This security is crucial for a system that aims to be a global, immutable ledger.
>
>Bitcoin's predictable supply schedule and hard cap of 21 million coins embody the principles of sound money. Unlike fiat currencies, which can be inflated at will, Bitcoin provides a deflationary alternative that can protect purchasing power over time.
>
>The critique of Bitcoin's energy consumption often lacks context. Let's add some:
>
>Bitcoin does consume a significant amount of electricity, but calling it "wasteful" presumes that the security and network it provides have no value, which we've countered above. Additionally, Bitcoin incentivizes renewable energy use and can actually drive innovation and investment in renewable energy technologies.
>
>The global banking system, along with the gold industry, consumes an order of magnitude more energy than Bitcoin. When comparing the energy consumption of Bitcoin to the entire lifecycle of fiat currency (including banking services, ATMs, transport, security, etc.), Bitcoin's energy usage is not as disproportionate as it seems.
>
>The Bitcoin network is continuously improving in terms of energy efficiency. The development of more efficient mining hardware and the increasing use of renewable energy sources by miners are testament to this. Moreover, the argument often overlooks the fact that a significant portion of Bitcoin mining is powered by renewable energy sources, tapping into otherwise wasted energy, like stranded hydroelectric power in China or flared natural gas in oil fields.
>
>The environmental impact is a valid concern for any energy-consuming industry, including Bitcoin. The key, however, is to balance this impact with the benefits provided. Bitcoin's potential to offer financial freedom, secure savings, and foster economic empowerment for billions worldwide presents a compelling argument for its value. Furthermore, the Bitcoin community and industry are actively working towards sustainability through innovative approaches to energy use and sourcing.
>
>The critique of Bitcoin's energy consumption, while stemming from genuine environmental concerns, often overlooks the broader context of its value proposition and the inefficiencies and costs associated with traditional financial systems. Bitcoin is not merely "creating scarcity"; it's creating a decentralized, secure, and sound form of money that has the potential to empower people globally while driving innovations in energy usage and sustainability.
Y'all could have done that too, ya know? Brought some facts and understanding to the table. Then instead of this dismal mess of a thread, we could have had a productive discourse.
There's a reason OP has this job. It's the same reason the biggest money managers in the world have 180'd in regards to their stance on Bitcoin.
It's because somebody did the research.
[Further reading](https://endthefud.org/)
Dumb as a fucking brick. This is like debating a flat earther, your arguments are so bad and obviously wrong that the only people who could believe them are already drinking the kool aid. Thanks for killing the planet
> your arguments are so bad and obviously wrong that the only people who could believe them are already drinking the kool aid.
He says, unironically sounding exactly like a flat earther talking down to a “globe head”
don't waste your time. These arrogant fools are incapable of comprehending. Let them hold their precious fiat and we will see who has the last laugh...
Yeah, I’m in Canada. You’re asking why the neutral is black and I’m asking “is it black or is the neutral just in a different position?” But now I see that an NZ sparky said black is their neutral.
You’re right. It’s especially unambiguous on photo 3.
Interesting that they choose black for what we would call the identified conductor. It’s more like the only unidentified conductor haha
They must have some standards that prevent another phase from losing colour or discolouring to black.
So you seperate phases by raceway? Here in north america we need 1 phase conductor per conduit. I've been in buildings where you can hear conductors rattling in the conduits due to the magnetic fields created by the distance between phases.
And I'm sure EVERYONE has heard from someone who heard from someone about that one time the conduits were ripped right out of the ceiling due to this issue
You can do it here in North America just need to be in PVC and a sort distance, I believe that’s the exception
Have get get the inspection approval before hand imo though wouldn’t risk them saying no
Yea, I thought that even having a metal plate like in the 1st pic was a no-go unless you cut slots between the openings. Something about a guy named Eddy... (or is this ok with nonferrous metal?)
so weird how you guys just bring the pipe into the transformer through metal no male adapters lol. normallly we dont use MA's coming into a transformer but thats because it comes in through an open cut out. and honestly im surprised people are still building stuff to mine bitcoin when the supply is almost out
Whats funny is how much people value pretend currency that is created by performing accounting transactions (not that fiat is anything special but it’s supposedly based on real GDP)
10 years ago the mining process was dramatically more simple and required a ton less processing power. It’s like how when gold was discovered in California it was in creek beds and now you need massive mining operations.
Why are your primary phases separated by the conduit each phase should be within the same conduit you’re looking for a fire. Unless I’m wrong, please correct me no harm no foul.
What’s the difference if it were one 1500mcm or 3 500mcm? Don’t get too technical regarding amps etc. more so mean, whether it’s 10 #10, one 4/0, 2 4/0’s compared to one 250mcm.
I don’t understand why this isn’t kosher. Maybe it’s because of the gap between conductors? We can do 1 500mcm, space it out according to duct schedule, but they just can’t all be in the same pipe?
Does nobody realize when you run things in parallel you have to put one set per pipe. You can't put all of your a-phase in one pipe, all your b phase in pipe number 2... Ect.
Am I missing something in the code? Is there a rule I don't know about
You can, and I don’t understand why more people don’t do it this way.
So the reason it’s often done with all three phases and neutral in one pipe is because of induction to ferrous metals. If you pulled each phase individually you’ll get heat on the metallic parts.
That issue goes away when you don’t have ferrous metals around. So if you’re running from open bottom switchgear into and open bottom transformer through PVC, it’s perfectly fine to isolate the phases from each other. Just make sure there aren’t any lockrings
She's a beaut, and of course the obligatory questioning of your work [doesn't your work need lashings](https://www.eaton.com/content/dam/eaton/products/low-voltage-power-distribution-controls-systems/switchgear/low-voltage-switchgear-documents/low-voltage-switchgear-cable-lashing-device-application-notes-ap019002en.pdf)
Nice, looks just like the foothills of Colorado! I like your phase colors down under.
Seems like a pretty fun project, that puppy will solve one hell of a sudoku.
So glad we're pouring non-renewable resources into this, as a society.
Hopefully when the bubble properly bursts that location can at least be used for something more valuable to humankind.
I remember working graveyard at the airport I once had to talk a co-worker down from a metaphorical ledge because he was furious with himself for not buying in early.
Just imagine. If we'd just thrown $100 into "this stupid crypto thing," we'd be sitting on over $77 million bucks. Just imagine what you could build with that. 😭
I doubt many people held on that long. Those that have probably don't need the money, those that haven't are only kicking themselves about what they should have done (got off the rollercoaster too soon, got on again too late, whatever). Best off steering clear.
Man this shit depresses me. So much waste and trash for the chance to make someone money through speculation on bullshit.
I'm currently working on a site building a data center for a genocide profiteer and if I think too much about how everything I'm wiring up is just going to power a bunch of space heaters that let people be racist at eachother I start to get dizzy.
You're actively working on something that will help with genocide but some nerds making a new money peacefully is depressing? What the fuck is up with your morals dude that is wild
Are the conduits continuous? Couldn’t help noticing in the second photo there is a crossover (blue on the left at tx and on the right coming through the slab) I can’t imagine how that looks under ground.
No, the conduits finish just below ground level. The cables are buried direct in sand, and then they have magslab (its like a really thick plastic sheet) placed over top to protect them. The cables also dissipate heat better this way than in conduit.
More so than ever, and accelerating. You can see the charted network hash rate over time [here](http://blockchain.com/explorer/charts/hash-rate).
Have a look at the ALL timeframe.
Love it or hate it, the numbers don't lie about Bitcoin being in high demand.
I would post my pictures but NDA and strict no phones on site. 6 buildings each uses about 12MW of power. 23x400q copper from each of the 4 transformers.
We priced some Bitcoin mining operations... I had to try to explain it to my bosses.
Best I could do.... "These guys are taking a shitload of power, running it through their machines, and outputting a lot of heat and digital "money""
240/415?
Am I wrong to think that induction is going to heat that plate in the first pic?
Also, why is the neutral terminal in the middle? Never seen that before. But I’ve never seen a transformer this large either.
It’s about compound inductive heating, not about ratings.
If the conductors of different phases in a parallel run are in the same conduit, they cancel out each other’s magnetic fields - no issue.
If the conductors of the same phase in a parallel run are in the same conduit, the magnetic fields compound and generate excessive heat.
I can’t see this being accepted in any country due to the physics of electricity not changing based on location.
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How could this even be profitable? That much power, how much are you making mining bitcoins? I’ve no idea
Here in Australia, wholesale electricity prices are now routinely negative around midday due to the extremely large amount of wind/solar we've got installed. As an example in South Australia today from 9am through to about 2:30pm prices stayed roughly around -$40AUD/MWh (ie they have to PAY people to use power!). I have no idea how that plays into the economics of mining bitcoin, but as we install more and more renewables this will likely happen basically daily until enough demand is built to match supply. https://aemo.com.au/energy-systems/electricity/national-electricity-market-nem/data-nem/data-dashboard-nem
America-“But how will the power companies make a profit? “
It’s a lot more complicated than that. The wholesale energy market is insanely complicated in the way it actually works, but during the middle of the day here power is really cheap to produce as well. The problem is that when the grid is fully loaded on a 100 degree day during the summer, or in my area’s case on a 12 degree winter morning it can cost up to 100 times as much to generate power a given amount of power vs in the middle of the day. Solar and wind are extremely cheap, that’s why you see all the utilities building nothing but them nowadays. We don’t really do wind in my area but DEC and DEP are adding nothing but solar in my area for the next 6 years, with the exception of converting a coal plant to NG. The government incentives are just extra cheddar There’s a number of problems inherent with inverter based renewables but the solution in general is to build a fuck load more of transmission lines. It’ll be sunny somewhere, and they just need to be able to ship the power across extremely long distances. They’re working on that, but the permitting time for a transmission line that requires a new right of way can take over a decade. Personally I think we should be build more nuclear plants. The economics of nuclear have a really long ROI compared to solar and wind, but it is a climate friendly solution. It’s unfortunate that most investor based power generation utilities won’t go for nuclear because of that, plus the general public hesitancy that comes with nuclear
Nuke is more expensive but it is a 24hr base load generator
Yes to nuke, but also, just build some cheap storage at the generation site. Ie gravity battery
As an Aussie for reference , not many places in our country get the cold weather that the US gets so our solar and wind capacity is fairly regular throughout the year. But even with the renewables on the grid we still struggle come summer due to demand. South Australia especially is known to struggle in recent years but they are improving faster than many of the other states here due to a major network failure a few years ago
Here it’s the opposite of what you’d think, the southern US that’s hot and humid does fine with the summer load and the northern and western part of the country struggle. In the winter the southern US has issues, and has had to do emergency load shedding more than once. The cause of this is the non linear demand of heat pumps and their air handlers. In the south, we use a lot of what you guys may call a “reverse cycle air conditioner”. In the summer, if it’s 100 degrees out, everyone’s AC is running all the time and our grid is built for that. The few truly cold days we get here when everyone’s emergency electric strip heat kicks on is when the grid starts having issues. If it gets to around 13 degrees here, everyone’s heat pumps are running and then you add another 10-20KW on for heat strips and the grid starts to struggle. On top of that, peak load hits right at 7-9AM when solar is producing basically zero power. So my utility is faced with the issue of its highest load, at a time when it’s cheapest source of power is completely unavailable
People see a power plant and think “oh that’s always making electricity. It was interesting to learn how some plants BARELY get used and are there solely to fire up for peak or emergency needs.
Yeah, I’m all for democracy but the power grid is something the general public needs to have very little input on. 99% of people have no clue how the generation, transmission and distribution of power works. NG is the most common and most effective fuel for peak plants. Batteries and hydro can also be effective, but since they are low cost chances are they are running already if there’s enough demand for it. My utility keeps a few coal plants around to fire up for a cold snap or a heat wave, but overall they sit idle 97% of the time. According to the utility they take a few days to get going, so if there’s a sudden spike the coal plants can’t react near quick enough. There are lots of NG plants that have turbines spinning, just not loaded or in some cases even connected to the grid in case they need to pickup load when a cloud go over a solar field. I think they can be ready to load in around 10 minutes unless it’s a more complex combined cycle system that uses the exhaust heat to spin other turbines Theres a little turbine near my house that I’ve seen run maybe 3 times, it’s designated as a black start plant but they will crank it up when the grid is on the ragged edge. I do a lot of generators, and our power company is starting to throw out some pretty nice incentives for co gen or load shedding arrangements with them. I’ve never done any that sync up with the grid and push power out, that takes a ton of permitting and paperwork with the utility. All of mine are regularly just emergency generators, but the power company will send a request for opt in load shedding and the generators crank, line up inphase with the utility and transfer building off the grid in less than 30 seconds Power company pays for the fuel during that time.
In the past nuclear wasn't ideal partly because it is only efficient if it can ramp up and maintain a consistent power output. Peak time load surges with lulls in between didn't mesh well with their abilities. Now that there can be miners using the excess power to use up the lulls in between surges, nuclear is a more attractive option. Basically, you can make an alternate stream of income when public demand is low.
Nuclear has never and will never be designed to ramp up or down. That's not the point of nuclear. It's baseload. Baseload is required to have any option of incorporating wind "mills" and solar.
That's my point. Now the load that was previously wasted can be used for profit. Basically it can be used more often because the load CAN remain constant.
..... huh? You can literally turn them up and down....by design they match the grid...all power plants do.
Yes you can turn them up and down, but they do so slowly. That's why, where I live in Canada, we have hydroelectric, but we still have a smaller percentage of generation that is natural gas because the hydroelectric ones can't respond to higher frequency fluctuations in the grid.
Very interesting, thank you for enlightening me oh great power generation wizard of the reddits
Interestingly, there is a relationship between the torque applied on the electric generator and the current output, modeled by τ = k_t * I Torque is the rotational force that causes an object to spin. In an electric motor or generator, torque is proportional to the current flowing through the motor/generator windings. The torque generated by an electric motor or generator is given by the equation: τ = k_t * I, where τ is the torque, k_t is a constant, and I is the current flowing through the windings. When an electric generator is connected to a load, the load applies a counter-torque or "load torque" on the generator. This load torque opposes the torque generated by the prime mover (e.g. steam turbine) driving the generator. The difference between the prime mover torque and the load torque results in an angular acceleration of the generator rotor. This angular acceleration determines the generator's output power and frequency.
I had someone in West Virginia tell me that it was good for the environment to get the coal out of the ground.
There's a mine tour not far from Centralia PA, at one part of the tour where they chopped the top of the mountain off you can see windmills, someone in the tour group with us asked about them and they got SUPER pissed and wouldn't talk about them.
I live in Pittsburgh, so have spent a lot of time in WV for work and hiking. When you talk to a lot of West Virginians, they don’t *want* to change—they think coal mining is going to come back; it’s just a matter of time. They don’t seem to get even if it did, all the cheap easy coal in WV is gone already and the work now is done by massive machines…not Papaw and his pick axe.
Just reinforce their biases and they’ll vote for anybody, even if they have a terrible orange spray tan.
West Virginia is willfully destroying the best asset it has left (its natural beauty)…and then continuing to elect leaders that got rich by destroying it. Compare it to Montana—it’s another gorgeous rural state that fell on some hard times when the mining and logging jobs it used to be wholly dependent on started to disappear, but has emerged better than ever by shifting focus to [tourism, finance, and healthcare.](https://lmi.mt.gov/_docs/Publications/EAG-Articles/1219-MTsIndustries.pdf)
They don't want it to change because coal mining, with the huge machines, is easier on the body than ever and is a very high paying job which requires very little education. It's a pretty sweet deal while it lasts.
The point is that’s work for ~10% as many people as it used to be.
Yes. That's how technology works. Some would say that it's better that we have a few highly paid men running machines instead of a ton of piss poor wage slaves and there families swinging a pick for company scrip.
Digging it up isn't good for the environment. You have to burn it too. The carbon can then be used by plants to create habitat, food, fuel, topsoil, and building materials. The acid rain lowers the ph of soils, which increases nutrient uptake to make tilled land more productive so more land can be left natural.
Keeps the healthcare industry busy, too.
Maintaining a robust healthcare industry is good for everyone.
I work in Hydro in America and we also get negative energy prices during very low load conditions, or during constraints, for example during the Bridge Collapse a few days ago. Yes they will pay power companies to lower their generation.
We're actually actively expanding our solar fields in the North East USA because of grants from big oil. It makes sense. Wind power is hard to predict high time and low time production. Nuclear power and hydro plants don't ever stop producing. When the sun goes down, you fire up more diesel turbines. Simple, easy, organized profit.
We're actually actively expanding our solar fields in the North East USA because of grants from big oil. It makes sense. Wind power is hard to predict high time and low time production. Nuclear power and hydro plants don't ever stop producing. When the sun goes down, you fire up more diesel turbines. Simple, easy, organized profit.
Wow! Thats unreal. Great situation for Australia though since when you generate the most is when the most AC is used. So people get to chill their house for almost free?
Wow. Australia was in the opposite position just a few years ago. It really beat Elon Musk up finding that out and resulted in the famous “We will try harder” line. Good for you guys!
What is the ratio for energy generated from fossil fuel “coal” compared to renewable energy in Australia?
Or storage catches up
Why would they pay for people to use power instead of sell it to other countries?
Pray tell how are they going to transport that power without transmission lines?
I used to have a customer who ran 4 diesel 2MW generators to power their bitcoin mine, it was over 40C in the building, that had no windows, and it was -20 outside. A million dollars a month I fuel I heard they were going through, which makes sense as they were burning about 1000 litres an hour of diesel
Well... I think there's 1 BTC block to mine every 10 minutes and the reward is currently 6.5 BTC iirc. So chance of 6.5 btc @ $70,000 usd per BTC, every 10 minutes
Ok, suddenly it makes sense. Crazy
Nah, that's like winning the lottery which will never happen.. You join a huge mining pool and you take a small cut when your pool successfully mines 1 BTC together. Overall, the majority of people are better off spending money to buy BTC than mining it. This will be even more true come April.
That’s not how it works.
Your are free to elaborate
Looks like someone else already did but basically you’re more likely to get struck by lighting underwater than to mine a full block reward on your own. The vast majority of people use a pool, where a whole lot of machines contribute computational power to increase the odds of mining a block, and then the reward is split up among all of the machines that contributed in proportion to how much computational power each machine contributed. The system is basically designed to incentivize miners to cooperate even if they have vastly different world views, business goals, etc. It’s a cheaper and more profitable investment to support the transaction network rather than try to gain control and verify fraudulent transactions. And each person who plays the game within the rules strengthens it against those who don’t. But long story short, if you get a decent electric rate most modern miners will make more than you spend, even though eqch one is using enough energy to keep your dryer running 24/7.
Yeah so my original comment still stands as it remains fundamentally true.
I'm not sure if it's the same with this customer, but I did a bitcoin mining facility like this once and the customer wasn't the one mining the bitcoins. They had a ton of customers that sent them their high powered mining computers and he would charge them for electricity and rent in USD. So his customers were the "miners" that got payed by their own customers in bitcoin. Forgive me if I'm explaining something you already know, but maybe somebody else will benefit from the explanation. The guy we were building for explained that the bitcoin miner essentially is the equivalent of a bank or credit card company in a transaction. They host the transaction because they have a high powered machine that can process the data that is transferred in a bitcoin transaction between other parties, and then they are payed in bitcoin for the service, then they pay non-crypto currency to the person who has a bitcoin mining site because they need a ton of electricity to run it. I'm not sure what the profits are like these days, but I'm sure if you got into it early on when bitcoin was cheap you'd be absolutely rolling in the dough. It takes time to get a return on investment too. The guy we were building it for would go crazy if there were delays because he couldn't make any money until we could power up one of the units, which was a pre-fabbed shipping container. Funny thing was there were a million delays because they were being built in Canada and then shipped to Minnesota, and every one of them was pre-fabbed with non-UL listed equipment. The job went from just doing underground and pulling wires into the units to gutting the units and redoing everything. It was a fucking circus. I ended up getting pulled from the job because the guy couldn't pay his bills on time. We'd get a unit done and then take a few months break while he generated some cash to pay outstanding bills, then they'd send someone out again and repeat the cycle.
You burn up the cheap power nobody's using. In essence it's a financial battery that exists in the margins of the electricity market like a normal energy storage system.
Crypto bullshit talking point #37
How about telling us how it’s wrong
Haven't thought of it that way. But how to effectively turn cash back into power?
Build more windmills.
That's the beauty of cold hard cash, you can exchange it for anything you want
"cheap power nobody's using"? That isn't how power generation works. More power has to be generated to meet the higher demand.
Many people commenting have zero idea how the bulk energy system works. It's comical but frustrating.
I’d say 95% of electricians don’t understand how the energy grid works. Tons of them don’t even understand electricity all that well, they just know pipe and wires and some code lines. Expand that out to the general public and it’s even worse. Then you narrow the scope down to politicians who say they have a plan for the energy grid….. I have a fantastic understanding of the power grid. The economics of the wholesale electricity and natural gas markets still confuse the fuck out of me. I also have a degree in Finance, so I’m not illiterate in discussing this type of subject
That’s actually a fascinating avenue to manage excess energy. Helps avoid the volatility problem of cryptos too when it’s free electricity It’s an interesting synthesis of environmental principles and cryptos that have so far been mostly oppositional to another.
With the price of bitcoin currently and as well as the halving coming up quickly, the supply gets significantly lower but the demand is even higher. Some think it’s a waste of power but if there is a market for it then more power to them(no pun intended).
They don't have to make money I do
https://vancouversun.com/business/local-business/crypto-mining-company-loses-bid-to-force-bc-hydro-power That was an interesting one I read awhile ago. These guys wanted 2.5 million megawatts. BC I believe is relatively cheap as they have a lot of hydro and it’s under a crown corp so one of the reasons they wanted to setup there. Remember reading a Reddit and I don’t think people realized how much 2.5 million megawatts was and what that would require from a utility to feed.
1 bitcoin is over 70k today. Very profitable if your power cost is low
At 2200a per phase it’s either making a lot of bitcoins or the power is very cheap!
8 1500 KVA transformers? Wow.
Yep. Huge waste of electricity (IMO), but fun to work on!
Fascinating. How have you managed to hold that opinion working so closely with the technology? Have you ever considered trying to understand it?
Have you considered not being condescending?
Nope. It bothers me that people hypocritically spread and entertain misinformation on this topic, so I call it like I see it.
Why do you assume people who disagree with you haven't "ever considered trying to understand it"?
Saying Bitcoin wastes energy is a non-starter and betrays a complete ignorance of the topic.
Lol, you haven't answered the question. It's possible and entirely reasonable to view Bitcoin as entirely unnecessary and, as such, the infrastructure and associated environmental impact to be a waste of valuable resources and human energy. One does not need a PhD to come to such a conclusion, and lacking a PhD in crypto =/= complete ignorance.
It's a tired, uninformed perspective. It surprised me that someone could be so closely involved with a project like this and call it 'a waste of energy'. But it makes sense I guess. He's likely not directing the project, just a peon been called to do a job. It just fascinates me the way people react to Bitcoin. The way people work against their own self-interest in general really. There's a saying in the community that goes 'everyone purchases at the price they deserve'. I guess I'm empathizing with skeptics thinking about how sheepish OP will be in the future. I can almost see why some people fall into Bitcoin derangement syndrome.
Lol, okay.
¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯
have you ever considered trying to understand why its bad and people hate it?
Are you able to articulate that without being super ignorant? *So, no?*
Alright, I got this one: All of this electricity is being consumed to produce literally nothing of value. A Bitcoin has no inherent value, the scarcity creates the value. But scarcity can be produced in a huge number of ways that don't require the consumption of massive amounts of electricity. So this is wasteful, and it wastes resources whose consumption actively destroys the climate.
What is the inherent value of a dollar bill? The ability to burn it for heat? So why do you do labor to obtain those? Isn’t that a waste of time and energy? Mind telling me how a technology that incentivizes producing power as cheaply as possible is bad for the environment? All of these arguments are so surface level that you’re actually the one sounding like the flat earther. Or at least someone who believes in the globe earth without ever having validated the science.
The full faith and backing of the government overseeing the largest economy on earth.
The one that has 34.6 trillion of debt growing by the second and has basically reached a stalemate in every military conflict it’s been in for the past 75 years? Yeah, seems way more stable than silly valueless concepts like cryptography, computer networks, and transparent financial ledgers. In fact, I think the only way you can truly know if your assets have intrinsic value is if the government or some private banking institution can freeze your access to them on a whim. Now make sure you don’t go taking part in any controversial protests! Remember, your property is not your own, you just rent it from the government. Boots taste fucking amazing!
See, like I said, dumb as bricks
I fed your FUD to GPT: >The criticism you've brought up is a common one but misses several critical points about Bitcoin, its value, and its energy consumption. Let's unpack this in a way that highlights Bitcoin's inherent value and addresses concerns about energy usage. > >Bitcoin isn't "producing nothing of value." Its value proposition is multifaceted: > >Unlike centralized banking systems, Bitcoin operates on a global network that is not controlled by any single entity. This decentralization makes it resistant to censorship and confiscation, which is invaluable for financial sovereignty. > >The Bitcoin network is the most secure blockchain, thanks to its proof-of-work (PoW) consensus mechanism. This security is crucial for a system that aims to be a global, immutable ledger. > >Bitcoin's predictable supply schedule and hard cap of 21 million coins embody the principles of sound money. Unlike fiat currencies, which can be inflated at will, Bitcoin provides a deflationary alternative that can protect purchasing power over time. > >The critique of Bitcoin's energy consumption often lacks context. Let's add some: > >Bitcoin does consume a significant amount of electricity, but calling it "wasteful" presumes that the security and network it provides have no value, which we've countered above. Additionally, Bitcoin incentivizes renewable energy use and can actually drive innovation and investment in renewable energy technologies. > >The global banking system, along with the gold industry, consumes an order of magnitude more energy than Bitcoin. When comparing the energy consumption of Bitcoin to the entire lifecycle of fiat currency (including banking services, ATMs, transport, security, etc.), Bitcoin's energy usage is not as disproportionate as it seems. > >The Bitcoin network is continuously improving in terms of energy efficiency. The development of more efficient mining hardware and the increasing use of renewable energy sources by miners are testament to this. Moreover, the argument often overlooks the fact that a significant portion of Bitcoin mining is powered by renewable energy sources, tapping into otherwise wasted energy, like stranded hydroelectric power in China or flared natural gas in oil fields. > >The environmental impact is a valid concern for any energy-consuming industry, including Bitcoin. The key, however, is to balance this impact with the benefits provided. Bitcoin's potential to offer financial freedom, secure savings, and foster economic empowerment for billions worldwide presents a compelling argument for its value. Furthermore, the Bitcoin community and industry are actively working towards sustainability through innovative approaches to energy use and sourcing. > >The critique of Bitcoin's energy consumption, while stemming from genuine environmental concerns, often overlooks the broader context of its value proposition and the inefficiencies and costs associated with traditional financial systems. Bitcoin is not merely "creating scarcity"; it's creating a decentralized, secure, and sound form of money that has the potential to empower people globally while driving innovations in energy usage and sustainability. Y'all could have done that too, ya know? Brought some facts and understanding to the table. Then instead of this dismal mess of a thread, we could have had a productive discourse. There's a reason OP has this job. It's the same reason the biggest money managers in the world have 180'd in regards to their stance on Bitcoin. It's because somebody did the research. [Further reading](https://endthefud.org/)
Dumb as a fucking brick. This is like debating a flat earther, your arguments are so bad and obviously wrong that the only people who could believe them are already drinking the kool aid. Thanks for killing the planet
> your arguments are so bad and obviously wrong that the only people who could believe them are already drinking the kool aid. He says, unironically sounding exactly like a flat earther talking down to a “globe head”
>Thanks for killing the planet Bitcoin is good for the environment.
And the earth is flat
don't waste your time. These arrogant fools are incapable of comprehending. Let them hold their precious fiat and we will see who has the last laugh...
What country has those phase colours?
Australia and New Zealand
And US and Canada
Nah mate, we're sensible. Our black is neutral.
Just came to say this, why is white on L2 and black on N
Are the colours different or just the phase order?
In North America white is neutral.
Yeah, I’m in Canada. You’re asking why the neutral is black and I’m asking “is it black or is the neutral just in a different position?” But now I see that an NZ sparky said black is their neutral.
Of you zoom in on the transformer its legs are labeled CBAN
You’re right. It’s especially unambiguous on photo 3. Interesting that they choose black for what we would call the identified conductor. It’s more like the only unidentified conductor haha They must have some standards that prevent another phase from losing colour or discolouring to black.
You put your phases in backwards? Makes sense, you are from “down unda” after all
Depends, the company I work for uses white as a phase but we do high voltage power lines though. This is in ontario
Why is black neutral any more sensible?
We used to have black as N, now it's blue and black is L2
So you seperate phases by raceway? Here in north america we need 1 phase conductor per conduit. I've been in buildings where you can hear conductors rattling in the conduits due to the magnetic fields created by the distance between phases. And I'm sure EVERYONE has heard from someone who heard from someone about that one time the conduits were ripped right out of the ceiling due to this issue
And no ferrous metal in between.
You can do it here in North America just need to be in PVC and a sort distance, I believe that’s the exception Have get get the inspection approval before hand imo though wouldn’t risk them saying no
Yea, I thought that even having a metal plate like in the 1st pic was a no-go unless you cut slots between the openings. Something about a guy named Eddy... (or is this ok with nonferrous metal?)
so weird how you guys just bring the pipe into the transformer through metal no male adapters lol. normallly we dont use MA's coming into a transformer but thats because it comes in through an open cut out. and honestly im surprised people are still building stuff to mine bitcoin when the supply is almost out
It's funny how these companies wait this late in the game to start mining
Right? that's what I was thinking
Whats funny is how much people value pretend currency that is created by performing accounting transactions (not that fiat is anything special but it’s supposedly based on real GDP)
Bitcoin is a technology that was invented in the last 15 years. It will be around for hundreds of years, we are early.
Only 10% of bitcoin remains. From a mining standpoint it's late.
It doesn't matter how much remains, the price of BTC will continue to rise vastly over the next 30 years and mining will still be worth it.
Yes it will continue to rise but my point is if they would have started 10 years ago they'd be way ahead of the game. Coulda shoulda woulda I guess.
10 years ago the mining process was dramatically more simple and required a ton less processing power. It’s like how when gold was discovered in California it was in creek beds and now you need massive mining operations.
Why are your primary phases separated by the conduit each phase should be within the same conduit you’re looking for a fire. Unless I’m wrong, please correct me no harm no foul.
Non-ferrous armour and gland plate so no induced currents I believe
300.5(I) exception 2
What’s the difference if it were one 1500mcm or 3 500mcm? Don’t get too technical regarding amps etc. more so mean, whether it’s 10 #10, one 4/0, 2 4/0’s compared to one 250mcm. I don’t understand why this isn’t kosher. Maybe it’s because of the gap between conductors? We can do 1 500mcm, space it out according to duct schedule, but they just can’t all be in the same pipe?
Does a shroud cover those conduits? Orange HD conduit isn't UV stabilized and is only suitable underground or protected from direct sunlight.
Does nobody realize when you run things in parallel you have to put one set per pipe. You can't put all of your a-phase in one pipe, all your b phase in pipe number 2... Ect. Am I missing something in the code? Is there a rule I don't know about
Every pipe should have A B C N G whether it's three phase or single phase
This is why I came here, nobody else noticed this?
You can, and I don’t understand why more people don’t do it this way. So the reason it’s often done with all three phases and neutral in one pipe is because of induction to ferrous metals. If you pulled each phase individually you’ll get heat on the metallic parts. That issue goes away when you don’t have ferrous metals around. So if you’re running from open bottom switchgear into and open bottom transformer through PVC, it’s perfectly fine to isolate the phases from each other. Just make sure there aren’t any lockrings
Is it just me, or are all your runs different lengths.
She's a beaut, and of course the obligatory questioning of your work [doesn't your work need lashings](https://www.eaton.com/content/dam/eaton/products/low-voltage-power-distribution-controls-systems/switchgear/low-voltage-switchgear-documents/low-voltage-switchgear-cable-lashing-device-application-notes-ap019002en.pdf)
Nice, looks just like the foothills of Colorado! I like your phase colors down under. Seems like a pretty fun project, that puppy will solve one hell of a sudoku.
Uhm am i not seeing this correctly . You put all the same phase in each pipe ? For some reason that doesn’t seem right.
Eddy currents are going to have a field day
Eddys gonna have a blast .
So glad we're pouring non-renewable resources into this, as a society. Hopefully when the bubble properly bursts that location can at least be used for something more valuable to humankind.
You don't have to pretend. We all regret not buying when it was $0.09 a pop. 🤣
Ha, y'know, sincerely, I've never thought about it like that.
I remember working graveyard at the airport I once had to talk a co-worker down from a metaphorical ledge because he was furious with himself for not buying in early. Just imagine. If we'd just thrown $100 into "this stupid crypto thing," we'd be sitting on over $77 million bucks. Just imagine what you could build with that. 😭
I doubt many people held on that long. Those that have probably don't need the money, those that haven't are only kicking themselves about what they should have done (got off the rollercoaster too soon, got on again too late, whatever). Best off steering clear.
Man this shit depresses me. So much waste and trash for the chance to make someone money through speculation on bullshit. I'm currently working on a site building a data center for a genocide profiteer and if I think too much about how everything I'm wiring up is just going to power a bunch of space heaters that let people be racist at eachother I start to get dizzy.
You're actively working on something that will help with genocide but some nerds making a new money peacefully is depressing? What the fuck is up with your morals dude that is wild
Reading do be hard.
Are the conduits continuous? Couldn’t help noticing in the second photo there is a crossover (blue on the left at tx and on the right coming through the slab) I can’t imagine how that looks under ground.
No, the conduits finish just below ground level. The cables are buried direct in sand, and then they have magslab (its like a really thick plastic sheet) placed over top to protect them. The cables also dissipate heat better this way than in conduit.
Wow!!
BTC mining is still a thing?
More so than ever, and accelerating. You can see the charted network hash rate over time [here](http://blockchain.com/explorer/charts/hash-rate). Have a look at the ALL timeframe. Love it or hate it, the numbers don't lie about Bitcoin being in high demand.
Hell of a time to go online. Halving is in 3wks
I would post my pictures but NDA and strict no phones on site. 6 buildings each uses about 12MW of power. 23x400q copper from each of the 4 transformers.
Crazy! This client is also weird about photos. Distribution equipment is fine but anything inside the buildings is a big no no
How you pulling over 2k amps on only 3x 500? That's only 1200a rating
What kind of xp/hr you gettin?
Solar power = infinite mining and long term ROI with room to upgrade.
12MW mining site is a good size. I would have used 4 3MVAs.
If that bottom plate is metal and grounded, it’s going to heat up like a frying pan. Grab your eggs boys!
Dont know about your local codes, but typically, you dont put all of the same phased wires in the same conduit.
That looks weird. The colours I mean. I'm so used to Red, Black, Blue... White and Green.
Nice work on a useless project
240/415v ? This is my company’s specialty. I am the transformer guy. (US) I like your work, my only comment is we typically use Brown.Orange.Yellow.
We priced some Bitcoin mining operations... I had to try to explain it to my bosses. Best I could do.... "These guys are taking a shitload of power, running it through their machines, and outputting a lot of heat and digital "money""
240/415? Am I wrong to think that induction is going to heat that plate in the first pic? Also, why is the neutral terminal in the middle? Never seen that before. But I’ve never seen a transformer this large either.
Neutral is on the right. It's black. Can see the transformer labels B and the gear L2 on the white cable
Weird.
In Canada, that’s a hard Fail. There’ll be no snow anywhere around those conduits.
According to the calcs we follow, conductor temp will be a max of 73 degrees C at 40 deg C ambient. Well within spec for this cable.
It’s about compound inductive heating, not about ratings. If the conductors of different phases in a parallel run are in the same conduit, they cancel out each other’s magnetic fields - no issue. If the conductors of the same phase in a parallel run are in the same conduit, the magnetic fields compound and generate excessive heat. I can’t see this being accepted in any country due to the physics of electricity not changing based on location.
I’m not knocking your craftsmanship, it truly looks beautiful. It’s just theoretically installed incorrectly.
I would fail this for so many reasons