The Bitcoin Miner at the Antarctic Research Station—Mining with Solar Power at -60°C

November 2025 - February 2026 Antarctic Summer
I am an engineer at a Chinese Antarctic research station. During the midnight sun, the solar panels generate power 24 hours a day, but the excess electricity goes to waste. I secretly brought a micro-miner (Ant S21 Pro, 3,500W power consumption) to mine using the surplus electricity.

Conditions
Outdoor temperature -40°C, the miner's cooling is no problem (in fact, it needs insulation). The network is via satellite, with a latency of 600ms, but it's enough for mining. After three months of continuous daylight, I mined 0.18 BTC. At that time, it was worth about $12k.

April - Return to China
I transferred the 0.18 BTC to my Gate account, but didn't sell. I posted on social media: "These coins are frozen out of me in Antarctica." Someone asked, "Is it worth it?" I thought about it: the miner cost $2,000, electricity was free, and the current value of 0.18 BTC is $12k. Net profit of $10k, plus a legendary story. How could it not be worth it?

Risks
The station chief almost found out. If caught, I could be sent back home. So don’t do what I did. But if you have access to free or waste energy (like associated gas from oil fields, water from hydroelectric plants), mining remains the best low-cost way to acquire Bitcoin.

April Challenge
Next time during the polar night (May - August), I will go back to Antarctica, but this time I plan to bring a water-cooled miner to use the heat for heating my dorm. Double win. Follow my social media account for updates—I’ll show you photos of the mining farm beneath the Antarctic ice sheet next year.

#Gate广场四月发帖挑战