El Salvador sees greener crypto-currency mining in its future

A banner that reads: "We accept Chivo and Bitcoin" is seen outside a bussines in Antiguo Cuscatlan, El Salvador, September 17, 2021. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas/Files

SAN SALVADOR (Reuters) - El Salvador's unfolding experiment as a first-adopter of the crytocurrency bitcoin could be increasingly powered by new streams of renewable energy, the chief of the country's hydroelectric commission told reporters on Friday.

Energy-intensive cryptocurrency "mining" is done by computers, and has come under criticism from environmentalists as a big source of demand for mostly fossil fuel derived electricity.