Canaan says data center power bill overlooks Bitcoin miners’ grid flexibility
CAN•Canaan says the proposed Ratepayer Protection Act could raise costs for large computing sites without crediting Bitcoin miners’ ability to reduce demand during peak periods. The Senate stalled the bill in a 57-43 procedural vote on September 30.
1. Bill and grid demand
The proposed standard would require computing sites drawing at least 100 MW to pay full incremental grid upgrade costs and provide financial assurances. States would decide whether to adopt it, leaving commissions central to cost allocation and recognition of flexible demand. Duke University researchers estimated the US grid could absorb 126 GW of new load if users curtailed consumption 1% of the time.
