Duke Energy, the second-largest electricity company in the United States, is exploring Bitcoin mining. The company is reportedly planning to integrate mining activities as part of its demand response strategy. The news was confirmed by Justin Orkney, a regulatory strategist at Duke Energy, speaking on the Troy Cross’ Bitcoin, Energy, and Environment podcast recently.
Orkney said the company is conducting ongoing research into Bitcoin mining, and the moves are part of a decision on how to get miners to start working on the grid before the company begins deploying mining capabilities to customers.
Orkney said on the podcast that the company will integrate several energy sources into the microgrid and test it with different levels of miners before releasing a final report on mining.
The company has produced a demand response report, initially focused on Bitcoin, and has already provided a small system for several Bitcoin miners.