Why does Simple Mining perform site curtailments?
Learn why site curtailments occur, how they support grid stability, and what happens to your miners during these periods.
Curtailments are a procedure that we undertake in partnership with our utility providers whenever there is a need to reduce the overall load on the power grid. This is a process that is observed by all companies in the crypto mining space; it is not specific to Simple Mining.
Curtailments are a byproduct of both the supply and demand of power in the grid. The most obvious indicators of when curtailments need to occur are extreme temperatures (hot or cold) that drive up usage on the power grid in general from the excessive usage of air conditioners or heaters. But those are not the only factors that come into play; for example, wind is a significant source of power with our utility providers in Iowa, and if there are periods of time when power produced by wind becomes scarce, that can depress the overall supply of power for the grid and prompt the need for curtailments.
During curtailment periods, your miners will be placed in sleep mode, which means that they are not able to hash to your pool. After the curtailment period has ended, the miners are brought out of sleep mode, and normal operations may resume.
We post notifications on site curtailments on our Facility Status page, which you can find here: https://dashboard.simplemining.io/facilities
On that page, you can also subscribe to receive updates on site curtailments and unplannedoutages.