Bitcoin mining as supply-side flexibility in Irish wind energy integration

Ireland recorded 10.1% of available wind generation (1.3 TWh) as dispatch-down in 2024, with 2025 data showing a further rise to 11.4% as capacity additions continue to outpace transmission investment. This paper evaluates co-located Bitcoin mining as a supply-side flexibility mechanism for absorbing curtailed energy under Irish Single Electricity Market conditions. Using hourly 2024 data for a modelled 100 MW wind farm, a deterministic revenue-maximisation model is solved across six scenarios spanning 0–90 MW of mining capacity and two ASIC hardware generations. A 20 MW installation of current-generation hardware (16 J/TH) absorbs 83% of annual dispatch-down energy, raises total system revenue by 32%, and increases the effective capacity factor from 29% to 32%; scaling to 30 MW raises absorption to 93%. Legacy hardware at 98 J/TH is uneconomic under all 2024 scenarios. Investment viability depends on the magnitude of the spread between Bitcoin price and network hashrate growth rates rather than on the absolute price level.