--- title: "Dutch Startup Mining Bitcoin to Grow Tulips, and We Can’t Tell If They’re Joking" description: "A startup in The Netherlands is using the heat being expelled by Bitcoin mining rigs to grow tulips. Ironic, given the historical context." date: "2022-12-12" modified: "2022-12-12" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/dutch-startup-mining-bitcoin-grow-tulips" categories: - "Bitcoin" - "Blockchain" - "Cryptocurrency" - "Future Society" tags: - "bitcoin" - "cryptocurrencies" --- # Dutch Startup Mining Bitcoin to Grow Tulips, and We Can’t Tell If They’re Joking ![A startup in The Netherlands is using the heat being expelled by Bitcoin mining rigs to grow tulips. Ironic, given the historical context.]() *\Image: Getty Images/Futurism\* A startup in The Netherlands is using the heat generated by Bitcoin mining rigs to grow tulips, [*Agence France-Press* reports]() — and the sheer irony, given the historical context, is absolutely mind-numbing. In the 17th century, demand for tulips — yes, the flower — spiked so sharply in Amsterdam that prices rose to staggeringly high levels, in a massive deviation between perceived and actual value that resulted in what is widely considered to be the first recorded economic bubble and subsequent collapse. The term "tulip mania" still refers to the concept of a speculative bubble to this very day, forever enshrining it in the vocabulary of modern economics. Fast forward over 300 years, and we've got the next potential bubble in the form of cryptocurrency, a speculative and infamously unstable digital asset that's already gone through its own fair share of dramatic boom and bust cycles. The similarities between tulip mania and Bitcoin, though, have seemingly gone over the head of Dutch engineer Bert de Groot, who is using the heat generated by Bitcoin mining rigs to grow tulips inside a greenhouse. To de Groot, it's a way to reduce his company's reliance on natural gas, prices of which have soared ever since Russia invaded Ukraine. In fact, his company Bitcoin Brabant is going as far as selling tulips online in exchange for Bitcoin, according to *AFP*. So either this is an absolutely next-level performance in deadpan, or the most incredible example of unintentional comedy in the history of crypto. In de Groot's defense, the company isn't basing all of its operations on the value of Bitcoin. Instead, Bitcoin mining servers are releasing tons of heat that are helping the tulips grow over the winter. And to be fair, the company is using energy generated from solar panels on its roofs to power the mining rigs, making the operation "carbon negative," as de Groot told *AFP*. According to de Groot, the mining rigs heat up the air by about 34 degrees Fahrenheit. "We're actually improving the environment instead of the other way around," de Groot told *AFP*. That, however, leaves the rather obvious question: aren't there plenty of more efficient methods of turning solar energy into heat for a greenhouse? Meanwhile, Bitcoin has [had a horrible year so far](). The price of the token is worth around $17,000 at the time of writing, which is [less than half]() of its value at the beginning of 2022. Things have gotten so out of hand, in fact, that the [European Central Bank warned]() earlier this month that Bitcoin is on its "last gasp." Despite the crash, de Groot is hellbent on powering his tulip business with the aid of Bitcoin servers. "I have absolutely no worries about the long-term value proposition of an immutable monetary system," he told *AFP*. "Bitcoin will last for ever." **READ MORE:** [Cash crops: Dutch use bitcoin mining to grow tulips]() \[*AFP*\] **More on Bitcoin:** *[Europe's Central Bank Warns That Bitcoin Is on Its "Last Gasp"]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()