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CLEVELAND\u00a0\u2014\u00a0The site of a paper mill that once employed hundreds of people is now home to hundreds of computers mining cryptocurrency.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Standard Power is transforming Coshocton\u2019s former mill into a co-mining facility.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe want to prove to people that cryptocurrency is not a fad, it\u2019s more like a lifestyle,\u201d said Standard Power Senior Site Director Sean Lymon.<\/p>\n
Lymon oversees the facility and keeps a close eye on the machines, called miners. He said inside are graphics boards and small CPUs to make algorithms.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey try to find the correct sequence to add itself to the blockchain,\u201d he said, pointing to one of the devices. \u201cIf this particular model helps along the chain, it gets a percentage of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Customers provide the miners, then Lymon and his team provide electricity, a secure network connection and constant monitoring.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMiners do not take holidays off, or vacation or call in sick,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He said each shipping container full of miners uses about 1.2 megawatts of electricity.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not as much power as everybody thinks,\u201d Lymon said. \u201cWe\u2019re not draining power from the grid to get a miner going.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said Standard Power is working on firing up an existing substation on the site to provide additional electricity for both the site and the city. The company is in the process of demolishing most of the existing paper mill structures to clear space for an additional 34 shipping containers of miners and a data center.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t do paper anymore because that\u2019s not cool,\u201d said LAN\/WAN Administrator Quentin Wherley. \u201cThat\u2019s not what the people are interested in. We\u2019re here to bring jobs and we\u2019re here to be at the forefront of technology.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wherley said he monitors all the network traffic and makes sure the miners\u2019 connections are maintained. It\u2019s a position that combines his love for tech and the community.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m very passionate about my city and I\u2019ve always had a knack for technology,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lymon said the team is bringing new life to a former brownfield.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re trying to be nicer to our neighbors,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to help them by bringing jobs, providing power, prettying up the land. Pretty much make everybody excited to be coming to Coshocton.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Standard Power said they plan to add another cryptocurrency mining facility in nearby Conesville.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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