Dirty Coin: Bitcoin mining is not the villain—it’s the fix

Bitcoin is dirty. Or at least, that’s what the headlines have been saying for years.

The mainstream narrative around Bitcoin mining, which uses powerful computers to secure the network and earn new Bitcoin, has long been the same: it’s an energy-hungry industry that contributes to environmental damage. But what if the reality is more complex—and Bitcoin mining is actually part of the solution?

In the documentary Dirty Coin, director Alana Mediavilla takes viewers across the globe—from rural Africa, where Bitcoin mining helps electrify communities, to Utah, where it reduces methane emissions—to challenge mainstream narratives about its impact.

Speaking on The Crypto Radio, Mediavilla discussed the shifting narratives around Bitcoin mining, why it has repeatedly been labeled as “dirty,” and why that narrative might be missing the bigger picture.

“I heard that Bitcoin mining was bad for the environment… I heard that Bitcoin was bad for some reason… like Bitcoin is only used for Silk Road and illegal payments,” Mediavilla said. “And then it was dirty because, people could cross payments in different countries, countries that we shouldn't be sending money to… And then it was dirty again because of its mining.”

Her curiosity led her on a three-year global investigation into Bitcoin mining’s real-world impact, exploring its role in energy grids, sustainability, and economic development.

Bitcoin mining as an energy solution

For decades, the debate on Bitcoin mining has centered on its electricity consumption. Critics, such as Digiconomist founder Alex de Vries, claim Bitcoin mining is an unsustainable drain on resources. But Mediavilla’s research tells a different story—one where mining isn’t just a consumer of energy, but a stabilizer of it.

“The misconception of people thinking that using energy is bad,” she explained—it’s not the consumption itself that’s the problem, “actually it's the emissions… There's a big difference and people are kind of mistaking the two.”

Take landfill methane in Utah. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, but miners are using it to generate power, preventing it from being released into the atmosphere.

“They are vacuuming up the methane and then running that through their generators and mining Bitcoin right on-site,” Mediavilla said, pointing out how it’s turning a major environmental liability into a productive energy source. “It's really an untapped market. And I'm really, really happy that there are miners… only investing in landfills-specific miners.”

Bitcoin miners also serve as flexible energy consumers, helping grids balance supply and demand. In places like Texas, miners absorb excess electricity when supply is high and shut down instantly when the grid needs power elsewhere.

Mediavilla compared this to a bakery selling its unsold goods at the end of the day—a system where Bitcoin miners efficiently use surplus energy that would otherwise go to waste.

“It can go from happening automatically, and it can be any kind of signal,” she explained. “It can be a price signal. The electricity cost goes above a certain number… Or it can just be a signal to turn off because the grid needs it.”

Reducing waste, powering communities

The film explores nine case studies where Bitcoin mining is being used to support local communities, reduce energy waste, and even provide heat for homes.

In Finland, Bitcoin miners help heat homes by injecting excess heat into the country’s district heating system, ensuring warmth during freezing winters.

“They have a central heating system that is countrywide,” Mediavilla explained. “Heat loses its temperature or gets colder as it transmits. But electricity is a lot more consistent. So they can get electricity to the farthest points of the country, but not necessarily the heat because the heat doesn't really get there.”

This is where Bitcoin miners come in. By connecting their operations to the grid, miners can pump excess heat into the system, allowing it to reach areas that would otherwise require costly new heating plants. “(One) container is equivalent to 750 houses. So you can imagine all of that electricity being consumed, turning into heat.”

In the Netherlands, waste heat from Bitcoin mining helps grow tulips in greenhouses, reducing the need for traditional heating sources.

“They did have natural gas… but the electricity from the grid is green because it comes from solar and wind,” Mediavilla said. “And that's where the miners are connected to, like the grid. Which means he (Bert de Groot, a Bitcoin miner working with farmers) can reduce the natural gas consumption because he uses natural gas to heat the greenhouses.”

By repurposing excess heat from mining, farmers can grow tulips, tomatoes, and cucumbers more sustainably.

Meanwhile, in Malawi, Bitcoin mining is electrifying communities that previously had no power at all. Through a partnership with Gridless, miners fund rural microgrids, helping villages access reliable electricity for the first time.

“We talk about the digital divide, but there's an electric divide even before that,” she said. “There's close to a billion people on the earth that don't have access to electricity… “It's not bad to consume electricity. It's actually quite good… understanding how it's generated is important as well.“

Rethinking Bitcoin mining’s impact

Dirty Coin challenges the widespread belief that Bitcoin mining is inherently harmful to the environment. While critics often point to its energy consumption, Mediavilla’s documentary reveals a more complex reality—one where Bitcoin mining increasingly relies on renewables.

“(Bitcoin mining) consumes the most amount of these green-labeled energy sources,” Mediavilla said, emphasizing the industry's significant use of renewable energy, with some operations—like those in Paraguay—running almost entirely on hydropower.

Mediavilla also challenged the idea that Bitcoin’s energy use is wasteful, arguing that its value goes beyond speculation.

“Who decides what is productive? I think that being able to have Bitcoin is extremely important and productive for the world. I think it's better to have it than not have it. And I think it's a humanitarian aid,” she said.

While Bitcoin mining has long been criticized for its energy use, Dirty Coin presents a different perspective—one where mining isn’t an environmental problem, but a potential solution to energy inefficiencies.

With global energy demand rising, Bitcoin miners may not just be fighting for their industry’s survival—they could be key players in building a more sustainable future.

 

Listen to the whole interview on The Crypto Radio's live player or in the Guardians of Bitcoin podcast.