"Demand spikes in the early morning as households prepare for work and businesses open. As solar generation ramps up later in the day, grid demand falls, leaving Eskom with surplus electricity. Eskom is looking at creative ways and means of using that capacity. One option under review is offering discounted electricity to Bitcoin mining companies operating in South Africa."
"Nyati said industries such as Bitcoin mining are contributing to rising global electricity demand. He said that the technology did not exist two decades ago but now represents a growing source of power consumption. Selling excess electricity to miners could allow Eskom to generate revenue from power that might otherwise go unused during solar-heavy hours."
"The idea also builds on earlier comments from Eskom chief executive Dan Marokane, who said the state-owned utility is examining opportunities tied to Bitcoin mining, artificial intelligence infrastructure, and large-scale data centers. Those sectors require large, continuous electricity supplies and could provide new demand for Eskom's generation fleet."
South Africa's rapid adoption of rooftop solar installations has created predictable electricity demand patterns, with grid demand dropping during daylight hours as solar generation increases. Eskom, the country's electricity utility, is exploring ways to monetize this surplus daytime capacity. One strategy under consideration involves offering discounted electricity to Bitcoin mining companies operating in South Africa. These operations require large, continuous electricity supplies for energy-intensive computations. Bitcoin mining and similar sectors like artificial intelligence infrastructure and data centers represent growing sources of global power consumption. This approach could generate revenue from electricity that would otherwise remain unused during peak solar production hours.
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