What Is A SolarBit?

In an era where sustainability and technological innovation converge, the Solarbit project stands out as a new foray into the Bitcoin mining world. One of the biggest issues with Bitcoin mining at home is that the average person can’t tap into cheap energy, get preferred bulk deals on energy or have the time and expertise to build out solar or wind generation capacity at a reasonable scale.

The cost and access to energy stop many potential miners at the door, but what if you could get around that variable operational cost, pay a once-off fee and mine Bitcoin in the process?

Imagine a device that combines the power of the sun with the intricate process of Bitcoin mining—all in a portable package.

Well, imagine no more because as of Q4 of 2024, Solarbit, the solar-powered mobile Bitcoin miner, will be rolling out.

What is a Solarbit?

A Solarbit is an open-source device designed to mine Bitcoin using solar energy. This fusion of renewable energy with Bitcoin mining represents a significant leap towards bringing mining back to the home, garage or as part of the small business.

It is an extension of the popular open-source mining movement that started with Nerdminers and BitAxe and looked to add another layer of badassery to being a home miner.

How Does Solarbit Work?

At its core, Bitcoin mining involves solving complex cryptographic puzzles to validate transactions and secure the blockchain. This process requires substantial computational power and, consequently, a lot of electricity if you’re going to do it at scale and make a business of it.

As Bitcoin mining reached industrial scale and devices became more powerful, it also priced the average person out of the game; ASICs can cost you thousands of dollars and are not shy of burning through a household’s energy and leaving you with an eye-popping energy bill.

Some home miners who do purchase competitive mining equipment either do so because their local energy costs are low or they’re using it to offset the energy generated by an already solar-powered home. Nevertheless, the capital expenditure will not be chump-change.

As the cost to enter the mining game increased, it left the pleb miner behind and centralised hash rate production around the big boys. If you’re just a hobbyist who wants to participate in producing hash rate, projects like BitAxe and solarBit are a great introduction to mining and aid in the decentralisation of hash in a very small manner.

Here’s a simplified breakdown of how Solarbit works:

1. Solar Energy Collection:

Solarbit features built-in photovoltaic panels that capture sunlight and convert it into electrical energy. The panels are designed to be highly efficient, ensuring that the device can generate sufficient power even in less-than-ideal lighting conditions.

2. Energy Storage:

The electricity generated by the solar panels while feeding the in-built BitAxe also finds its way into a battery pack. This battery ensures that Solarbit can continue operating and adjust the solar panel throughout the day, so the device has enough energy to boot up once the sun rises.

3. Mining Operations:

This BitAxe performs the necessary computations to mine Bitcoin while a fan tries to keep the device at its optimum temperature while you contribute to the blockchain and hopefully earn rewards.

What is Solarbit Made Of?

Solarbit is constructed with a combination of advanced materials and technologies to ensure durability and efficiency:

• Photovoltaic Panels: High-efficiency solar panels are a crucial component designed to maximise energy capture and conversion.
• Battery Packs: These are high-capacity lithium-ion batteries that store solar energy for continuous operation.
• Mining Hardware: The device contains specialised ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit) chips or FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays) optimised for Bitcoin mining.
• Enclosure: The outer shell of Solarbit is built from robust, weather-resistant materials to protect its internal components from environmental factors
• Cooling Systems: Efficient cooling systems are integrated to prevent overheating and ensure consistent performance.

SolarBit specs

• Autonomous Solar Tracking system (East <->West).
• Auto sleep and reset East after sunset. -30W max power.
• Rain Sensor to Activate Solar Panel Umbrella mode.
• Temp Sensor for Thermal Protection
• Water Resistant  
• UV Resistant  
• Approx. dimensions 560x300x375 mm
• Required: 1 X BitAxe & 1 X 12vLiFePO4 Lithium Battery (6-8Ah).

What Makes Solarbit So Interesting?

SolarBit gives you a plug-and-play device; you don’t have to think about managing or worry that you’ll get hit with an electricity bill that will ruin you financially for years.

1. Sustainability:

Solarbit epitomises the intersection of renewable energy and Bitcoin, so how can they claim we are boiling the oceans if we’re running on the big ball of energy in the sky?

Using solar power reduces Bitcoin’s reliance on fossil fuels, lowers the carbon footprint, and gives you an excuse to tweet at Green Peace and Greta Thunberg once your miner is up and running.

2. Mobility:

Unlike your ASIC mining rigs, which are tied to a specific location and need to be secured from theft, as well as in a place where you can deal with heat issues, Solarbit’s mobile nature allows it to be deployed in various environments.

You can leave it out in the garden or on a secure balcony or put it out every morning as you sip your first cup of coffee and lock it up every evening.

This flexibility can be particularly advantageous in off-grid locations if you’re between places, you’re a digital nomad, or you don’t have the space and energy prices to make the ASIC mining worth your time.

3. Cost-Efficiency:

While a BitAxe isn’t exactly going to roast your energy bill like the big boy ASICS, they are costing you a fee to keep up and running. You’ll likely only get a drip of sats in one of the main mining pools, and if you’re solo mining, most, if not all, of the hash rate you produce would be pissed away with no rewards.

With rising energy costs, Solarbit offers you a single capex to start mining and eliminates the opex to keep it running. By relying on solar power, users can avoid adding to their electricity bills as they attempt to stack sats and support the security model of the Bitcoin network.

4. Innovation:

The BitAxe project has seen several upgrades during its lifetime, and the SolarBit is just another step in the evolution of the open-source project.

The integration of solar power with Bitcoin mining represents a novel approach to solving Bitcoin’s energy consumption challenges and makes it an attractive option for some of us who have all the sunlight in the world, near year-round.

Shout out from Sunny Cape Town! We won’t just be tanning this brat summer; we’re going to be mining boys!

5. Scalability:

Solarbit could be scaled up or down depending on the user’s needs; if you’ve got the technical expertise and flair with 3D printing, you could take the concept and run with it and build a bigger one, add more panels, BitAxes or use an ASIC, or have battery capacity that not only allows your miner to run 24/7 but also power some of your other devices.

Who knows where this project will go and how far plebs will push it?

Why does pleb mining matter?

Even with the sun’s power and you’re pretty stacked with-power mini miner, your chances of netting anything meaningful are slim since you’re up against billion-dollar behemoths and even governments; having more resources to generate more hash rate increases your chances of getting a block, but doesn’t guarantee that you will

Bitcoin mining is still a lottery; anything can happen, and a small chance, a near zero chance, is still a chance.

To add to the copium, you can also factor in that if there were a large-scale ban on industrial miners, the smaller miners would have to pick up the slack. When a large portion of the hash rate goes offline, your chances of securing a block would increase or, at the very least, the portion of the block rewards you would net with the pool.  

Solar-powered sat stacking

The Solarbit project is a testament to how technology and sustainability can work hand in hand to create impactful solutions. By combining the power of the sun with the complexities of Bitcoin mining, Solarbit not only advances the field of Bitcoin but also promotes green mining.

As the world continues to embrace renewable energy and innovative technologies, it makes sense not to waste that energy decaying in a battery or finding some obscure method of using it to generate value.

Solarbit is a pioneering example of what’s possible when we think outside the box, and hopefully, it gets more people involved and thinking about Bitcoin mining.

Whether you’re a tech enthusiast, a Bitcoin miner, or passionate about environmental sustainability, Solarbit offers a glimpse into a future where technology and nature coexist harmoniously.

If you’re sold on the idea of SolarBit and want to secure one for yourself, then check out one of the following resellers in your region to see if they have stock available.

Do your own research.

If you want to learn more about SolarBit, use this article as a starting point. Don’t trust what we say as the final word. Take the time to research other sources, and you can start by checking out the resources below.

• GitHub – SolarBit