Solar Crypto Mining — How I Run ASIC Miners on Solar Power in Texas
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Real setup, real numbers, no theory — from a home miner who wired it all himself
Why I Mine with Solar
I started mining Bitcoin back in 2013 with a small ASIC miner. When BTC dropped a couple years later, I walked away. Forgot my wallet password. Lost 0.75 BTC. Expensive lesson in both patience and password management.
Fast forward to 2025. I’m a Marine veteran, two-time stroke survivor, and I needed a way to generate passive income that didn’t require me to be on my feet all day. When I looked at the math on solar-powered mining in Texas, the numbers made too much sense to ignore.
I bought an Antminer S19 Pro with a Loki Kit for $600, got solar panels installed in June 2025, and wired everything myself. No electrician. Today I run multiple miners in my garage pulling up to 6kW during daylight on solar and running all of them at night on free electricity.
My Solar Setup
Here’s exactly what I’m running. This isn’t a hypothetical build — this is bolted to my roof right now in North Texas.
The system is grid-tied with a Tesla Powerwall 3 for battery backup. The panels produce power during the day that runs my miners and my house. Excess goes back to the grid through Just Energy’s solar buyback program in Texas. The Powerwall gives me 13.5 kWh of storage and backup during outages.
Real production numbers (July 2025 – February 2026): 13.9 MWh generated, 15 MWh imported from grid, 5.9 MWh exported back. The Powerwall has charged 2,680 kWh and discharged 2,572 kWh. The system offsets roughly 87% of my household consumption — and that’s with miners running.
The Power Strategy — Solar Days, Free Nights
This is where solar mining in Texas gets interesting. I’m on Just Energy’s free nights plan. Electricity is free from 9 PM to 7 AM. During the day, the grid rate is $0.34/kWh — which would destroy mining profitability if I was paying it.
Here’s how I run it:
Daytime (7 AM – 9 PM): Solar panels produce power. I run miners pulling up to 6kW directly off solar production. The Powerwall handles spikes and my house load. Any excess solar gets exported to the grid for buyback credits.
Nighttime (9 PM – 7 AM): Free electricity kicks in. I run all miners at full power. This is 10 hours of completely free mining every single night. No solar needed, no battery drain, just free grid power.
The result: my effective electricity cost for mining is close to zero. During the day, solar covers it. At night, Just Energy covers it. That changes the entire profitability equation for ASIC mining.
Why this matters: Most miners quit because electricity eats their profits. When your power cost is effectively $0, even older machines like an S19 Pro or L3++ stay profitable long after they’d be unplugged in a data center paying $0.08–$0.12/kWh. My strategy is equipment longevity, not maximum hashrate.
My Mining Rigs
Everything runs in my garage on 240V circuits I wired myself. The L3++ is the only one on 120V.
| Miner | Algorithm | Coins | Voltage | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antminer S19 Pro (Loki Kit) | SHA-256 | BTC | 240V | Running |
| Antminer S19J Pro | SHA-256 | BTC | 240V | Out for repairs |
| Antminer S19 | SHA-256 | BTC | 240V | Running |
| Antminer L3++ | Scrypt | LTC / DOGE | 120V | Running |
| Antminer KS5 | KHeavyHash | KAS | 240V | Running |
| Lottery Miner | SHA-256 | BTC | 120V | Running |
I’m mining BTC, LTC, DOGE, and KAS across these machines. The S19J Pro is currently out for a C55 control board repair. With free power, I don’t need the newest, most efficient hardware — I just need machines that run reliably.
My Mining Timeline
Started mining BTC with a small ASIC miner. Eventually stopped when the price dropped.
Walked away from mining. Lost access to 0.75 BTC. Learned the hard way about wallet security.
18.9kW solar system installed — 45 REC 420W panels and a Tesla Powerwall 3. Last opportunity for the 30% federal solar tax credit.
Bought an Antminer S19 Pro with Loki Kit for $600. Wired 240V circuits in the garage myself. Back in the game.
Scaled to 5 ASIC miners plus a lottery miner. Mining BTC, LTC, DOGE, and KAS with near-zero electricity cost. Built solarayeffect.com to share what I’ve learned.
What It All Cost
Total investment across everything — solar system, Tesla Powerwall, all miners, electrical supplies, wiring — roughly $35,000. But the solar system has dual purpose: it powers my house and my miners. The 30% federal tax credit brought the solar portion down significantly.
The solar system would have made sense even without mining — it cuts my electric bill dramatically in Texas where summer rates are brutal. The mining is bonus income on top of that. Use the mining calculator to run your own numbers.
Should You Mine with Solar?
It depends on your situation. Here’s what made it work for me:
Texas electricity market: Deregulated power means you can shop for plans with free nights or low solar buyback rates. Not every state has this. If you’re paying a flat $0.12/kWh with no time-of-use options, the math is different.
Roof space and sun: I have a large roof with good southern exposure in North Texas. We get plenty of sun. If you’re in the Pacific Northwest with heavy cloud cover, your production numbers will be lower.
Existing solar: If you already have solar panels, adding miners is almost a no-brainer. You’re already producing power — put it to work. If you’re installing solar from scratch specifically for mining, run the numbers carefully because the solar payback period is 7–10 years regardless.
DIY ability: I wired my own 240V circuits. That saved thousands in electrician costs. If you’re not comfortable with electrical work, factor that labor cost into your budget.
Patience: This isn’t a get-rich-quick setup. It’s passive income that compounds over time, especially if you hold the crypto you mine. My target is turning the investment into $150K–$200K by 2030 through mining, holding, and letting the market do its thing.
Getting Started
If you’re ready to explore solar mining, here’s where to start on this site:
🧮 Mining Calculator — Plug in your miner, power cost, and solar hours to see daily profits.
🔌 Electrical Setup Guide — Everything you need to know about wiring 240V circuits for ASIC miners at home.
💰 ASIC Miner Catalog — Browse miners by algorithm, voltage, and power draw.
⚙️ Firmware Guide — Compare Braiins OS+, LuxOS, VNish, and Loki Kit for your miners.
🏊 Mining Pools — Find the right pool for your coin and payout preference.
📡 Remote Management — Monitor and control your rigs from anywhere.