Cameron Winklevoss, co-founder of the Gemini crypto change, floated an unconventional concept for sustainable Bitcoin BTC/USD mining on Monday, which is to route electrical energy from piezoelectric ground tiles into the community.
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Cameron Winklevoss Thinks Footsteps May Energy Bitcoin Mining
“This vitality needs to be transformed into Bitcoin mining. Each step helps audit and safe the blockchain. And ultimately one step will win the block reward,” he wrote on X.
He argued that turning footsteps into hashes would, in idea, assist validate transactions and safe the community. The Bitcoin protocol pays miners a block reward for efficiently including new blocks to the chain beneath its proof-of-work system.
Can Piezoelectric Flooring Virtually Energy Bitcoin Mining Efforts?
Winklevoss shared a video highlighting piezoelectric sidewalks in Tokyo that seize tiny quantities of energy from foot visitors. Pilot initiatives courting again to Japan’s Shibuya Station in 2008 present the output per step is small, on the order of a fraction of a watt per stride and greatest suited to low-power shows or lighting. Business suppliers likewise say a single step yields just a few joules, “sufficient to energy a 5W bulb for one second.”
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That scale prompted pushback in Winklevoss’s replies. Some customers famous such flooring typically produce too little electrical energy to do greater than complement native lighting. Others argued “the vitality used to supply and preserve this ground cannot even pay for itself,” urging, “ditch the waste and simply mine Bitcoin instantly.”
In accordance with a 2016 report by Wired, energy-harvesting distributors and early case research reinforce the skepticism, describing the tech as academic or symbolic quite than grid-scale.
The Wider Debate Over Bitcoin Mining Vitality Effectivity
Winklevoss has beforehand claimed Bitcoin mining can speed up clear energy, and as per Bloomberg information, Gemini has purchased carbon credit to offset its footprint.
Business efforts he is praised or that miners cite embody pairing rigs with extra photo voltaic, wind and hydro vitality; tapping stranded pure gasoline that may in any other case be flared and exploring nuclear-backed energy or grid-balancing roles. Current examples vary from Blockstream and Block Inc.’s XYZ solar-battery mining pilot in 2022 to Marathon Digital Holdings Inc.’s MARA more moderen use of shale gasoline, based on Reuters.
Trump Megadonor
The Winklevoss twins have emerged as main monetary backers of Trump and Republican teams through the 2024–2025 cycle. In January 2025, Cameron Winklevoss gave practically $500,000 to Trump’s MAGA Inc. PAC, whereas his brother Tyler contributed greater than $515,000. Each brothers additionally chipped in $132,900 apiece to the Republican Nationwide Committee.
Value Motion: On the time of writing, BTC was exchanging arms at $115,503.50, down 1.70% within the final 24 hours, based on information from Benzinga Professional.
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