WAUKESHA, Wis. — A Waukesha resident hoping to transform his cryptocurrency mining hobby into a home business has hit a roadblock that's keeping his expensive generator silent.
Jacob Budzinski invested $35,000 in a liquid cooling generator to power his growing cryptocurrency mining hobby., But city officials have said he would only be allowed limited use of the generator because of the noise.
Watch: Waukesha man runs into problems trying to turn crypto mining hobby into business:
"I say it is louder than an air conditioner but quieter than a lawn mower," Budzinski said.
Neighbors had complained about the noise which led Budzinski to seek approval from the city's Plan Commission for his home business and round-the-clock generator use. However, according to a city email, while he can operate a home business, the generator is only permitted "when power goes out in the neighborhood."
"So that is a death sentence right there," Budzinski said.
Budzinski said he was told about this plan from the city before the official meeting. So he decided to withdraw his proposal from the commission's agenda. He's now exploring alternative solutions while continuing to pursue his passion for cryptocurrency mining.
Cryptocurrency mining involves using specialized computers to solve complex puzzles that validate cryptocurrency transactions. The process requires significant computing power and electricity.
"Antminer is probably one of the most popular brands of miners," Budzinski explained, referring to his equipment.
The financial challenges of cryptocurrency mining became apparent to Budzinski early on.
"An electricity bill of $1,600 a month," he noted when he just had two miners.
Now he has expanded and had planned to use them with a generator. But without permission to run it regularly, Budzinski has decided to scale back his ambitions for now.
He plans to power his crypto miners using only his solar panels until he can develop a new strategy for getting his generator approved.
Despite the setback, Budzinski remains enthusiastic about his hobby.
"It was a lot of fun setting this all up and learning everything," he said.
This story was reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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