Energy costs are the single biggest variable in mining economics. When the market turns volatile and electricity prices spike, every hour of blind hashing can turn profitable rigs into a loss-making liability. This is where Curtailment becomes more than just a switch — it’s a strategic lever.

What is Curtailment?

Curtailment is a temporary reduction or shutdown of electricity consumption, triggered either by market signals or by the grid dispatcher. In practice, it means switching off selected miners when power becomes too expensive — and bringing them back online when conditions stabilize.

Why Curtailment Matters for Mining Farms

Curtailment isn’t just about reducing consumption. It’s about protecting profitability and compliance: Profit Protection: Power markets can swing drastically during peak demand. If your farm keeps running at full load, the inflated cost per megawatt-hour immediately eats into your margins. Curtailment allows you to idle the least efficient ASICs first, preserving positive cash flow. Risk Management: Grid operators increasingly require large consumers to join Demand Response programs. Participation means not only avoiding penalties, but also gaining fee reductions or even direct payouts for helping stabilize the grid. Operational Flexibility: With automated curtailment rules, farms can react in real time to price fluctuations or load-shedding signals. This ensures maximum uptime when it’s profitable — and smart downtime when it’s not.

Curtailment in Sprouter.ai

The Curtailment module in Sprouter.ai fully automates this process. It monitors market conditions and external signals, then executes rules across groups of miners with precision: Automatic shutdown when electricity prices spike Priority-based curtailment (least profitable miners go first) Integration with Demand Response programs (e.g., CPower) Full visibility through execution logs and event history

In short: Curtailment transforms power volatility into an optimization opportunity. Instead of being exposed to risk, your farm gains a new profit lever.