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.

What is Curtailment in Sprouter.ai?

Curtailment is the temporary reduction or complete shutdown of electricity consumption to reduce costs or comply with grid requirements. In Sprouter.ai, the Curtailment module automatically switches off groups of miners when electricity prices spike or when an external load-shedding signal is received.

Why Curtailment Matters

Curtailment isn’t just an on/off switch — it’s a risk- and profit-management tool. Energy markets are increasingly volatile: when demand peaks or the grid is constrained, electricity prices can surge several-fold. If a farm keeps hashing at full capacity, these price spikes quickly erode margins. With thin profitability, even a few megawatt-hours at peak rates can turn earnings into losses. Sprouter.ai allows you to set curtailment rules that react in real time, idling the least profitable ASICs first and protecting overall cash flow. Curtailment also plays a role in infrastructure management and reputation: Grid compliance – utilities require large consumers to participate in Demand Response programs. Those who can shed load earn reduced fees or direct payouts. Penalty avoidance – ignoring these mechanisms risks fines or forced shutdowns. Sustainability – Curtailment lowers PUE, extends hardware lifespan, and demonstrates responsible operation to partners, utilities, and auditors. In short, Curtailment has become a cornerstone of mature mining operations.

Curtailment in Sprouter.ai

Sprouter.ai offers a declarative load-management system, where users can define rules with three core parameters: 1) Scope – which miners the rule applies to (by company, location, scanner, or group). 2) Target Power Level – full shutdown, reduce power to a fixed kW, or reduce power by a percentage. 3) Activation Strategy – the trigger conditions for curtailment.

Activation Strategies

Sprouter.ai provides five strategies to cover market and grid scenarios: Manual – one-click on/off control. Time-Based – curtailment according to a predefined schedule. Strike-Price – automatic shutdown when electricity prices exceed a user-defined threshold. Smart – combines price signals with dynamic Gross Profit calculations, pausing miners when profitability hits zero. Demand Response – responds to signals from an external DR provider. Within each strategy, Sprouter.ai prioritizes miners by current Gross Profit and ramps toward the target load within the defined Target Time, ensuring optimized shutdown and recovery.

How to Set Up Curtailment in Sprouter.ai

Creating a curtailment rule is a simple 3-step process: Step 1: Define the Scope – apply to all miners, specific locations, scanners, or groups. Step 2: Choose the Target Action – All Target Miners (full shutdown), Reduce Power to (kW) (limit consumption to a fixed level), or Reduce Power by (%) (cut usage by a set percentage). When using reduction options, Sprouter.ai automatically suspends the least profitable miners first, based on real-time Gross Profit. You also set a Target Time (e.g., 10 minutes), which controls how quickly miners shut down or wake up. Step 3: Select Curtailment Type – Manual (one-click control), Time-Based (scheduled shutdowns), Strike-Price (based on real-time ISO electricity pricing), Smart (combines market data with profitability metrics), Demand Response (executes load-shedding signals from external DR companies). For Strike-Price and Smart types, configure Curtail After and Resume After intervals (1 interval = 5 minutes). For Demand Response, specify the DR provider and authentication details. Finally, assign which team members should receive notifications about Curtailment events.

The Value of Curtailment

With Sprouter.ai, Curtailment becomes more than a safety switch — it’s a data-driven optimization tool. By automating responses to volatile electricity markets and grid demands, it helps operators: ✅ Protect margins during price spikes ✅ Avoid penalties and forced shutdowns ✅ Extend equipment lifespan ✅ Demonstrate responsible energy use to stakeholders. Congratulations — once Curtailment is configured, your mining farm is ready to weather even the sharpest energy price fluctuations.

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