Innovators are fashioning clever new ways of benefiting from cryptocurrency mining as concern about the energy consumption used in the practice has drawn attention from the European Union.

Cryptocurrency mining is the process by which transactions are verified and added to the blockchain, creating new coins and tokens. The process itself requires lots of computing power, whether that’s a typical PC or dedicated hardware, such as mining devices that use graphics processing units or, in the case of bitcoin, application-specific integrated circuit chips, to mine the blockchain.

That processing requires electricity and generates heat, both of which have caused concern, particularly in countries such as Iceland where it’s reported that bitcoin mining operators are set to use more power in the country than its entire population uses for other purposes.

In a statement last week, a European Union official addressed energy consumption used by cryptocurrency mining. The EU said that while it recognized concerns, the practice is currently legal but subject to existing electricity rules and policies with respect to energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions.

While not addressing power consumption directly, at least two innovators have found a way to tap into the heat generated by cryptocurrency mining, meaning that at least one part of the cryptocurrency mining process may become more environmentally friendly.

In France, a startup called Quarnot has debuted a cryptomining heater (pictured) that can pay for itself by harnessing the reserves of heat generated through the mining process to heat a user’s home.

The Quarnot’s QC1 mines for Ethereum by default at a 60-megahertz-per-second speed using two GPUs built into the heater, with the heat generated then used in the heater. The device includes an app that allows users both to see how much Ethereum they are mining and to adjust the heating level of the device.

In the Czech Republic, the co-founder of cryptocurrency exchange NakamotoX is launching a blockchain startup based on growing edible crops from excess mining heat. The company, Agritechture, has already managed to deliver its first crop: a five-acre greenhouse full of tomatoes dubbed “Cryptomatoes.”

Cointelegraph reported that ultimately the company intends to deliver an “energy cycle loop” in which the energy for the cryptocurrency mining that grows the vegetables comes from biowaste left over from their growth, meaning that it would be even more Earth-friendly.

Image: Qarnot