Bitcoin Without Power?
...doesn't work.
Just like at least 117 other things too.
The argument "Bitcoin doesn't work without power" is technically correct – but it applies to practically everything that makes up our modern life. Here is an incomplete list, sorted by importance:
Health & Life Saving
- • Ventilators
- • Intensive care units
- • Dialysis machines
- • Defibrillators
- • Operating rooms & lighting
- • Patient monitors
- • Insulin pumps
- • Pacemaker programming
- • CT, MRI & X-ray machines
- • Blood bank refrigeration
- • Laboratory equipment & diagnostics
- • Emergency dispatch centers (112)
- • Ambulance communication
- • Pharmacy systems
- • Medication refrigeration
Drinking Water & Wastewater
- • Waterworks & pumps
- • Drinking water treatment
- • Drinking water disinfection
- • Sewer systems
- • Wastewater treatment plants
- • Toilet flushing (high-rises)
- • Flood pumps
- • Fire sprinkler systems
Communication & Emergency Calls
- • Emergency calls 112 & 110
- • Mobile networks
- • Landline telephones
- • Internet
- • WiFi routers
- • Siren warning systems
- • Disaster warnings (NINA)
- • Radio stations
- • Television & news
- • Government communication
Security & Order
- • Police dispatch centers
- • Fire department dispatch centers
- • Prisons & correctional facilities
- • Alarm systems
- • Surveillance cameras
- • Fire alarm systems
- • Nuclear power plants (cooling!)
- • Flood protection gates
- • Tunnel ventilation
Food Supply
- • Supermarket checkout systems
- • Refrigerated displays & freezers
- • Meat counter refrigeration
- • Warehouse refrigeration
- • Food logistics
- • Gas station pumps
- • Automatic supermarket doors
- • Bakery ovens
- • Vending machines
- • Package lockers
Traffic & Mobility
- • Traffic lights
- • Railroad crossings
- • Trains & commuter trains
- • Subways & streetcars
- • Elevators
- • Escalators
- • Air traffic control
- • Airport systems
- • Ship navigation
- • Tunnel lighting
- • Bridge control
- • Electric cars & charging stations
Financial System & Payments
- • ATMs
- • Credit & debit card payments
- • Online banking
- • Banks (all systems)
- • Stock exchanges & trading
- • SEPA transfers
- • Payroll payments
- • PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay
- • Insurance systems
Household & Heating
- • Heating systems (even gas & oil!)
- • Heat pumps
- • Hot water
- • Refrigerators & freezers
- • Electric stoves
- • Lighting
- • Electric shutters
- • Garage doors
- • Doorbells
- • Smart home systems
- • Air conditioning
Public Infrastructure
- • Street lighting
- • Government offices & agencies
- • Schools & universities
- • Servers & data centers
- • Weather services
- • Flight surveillance
- • Satellite ground stations
Work & Production
- • Factories & production facilities
- • Assembly lines
- • Cold storage warehouses
- • Server farms
- • Office buildings
- • Computers & laptops
- • Video conferences
- • Cloud services
- • Access control
Leisure & Culture
- • Movie theaters
- • Theaters & concert halls
- • Fitness centers
- • Swimming pools
- • Restaurants
- • Hotels
- • Zoos (animal care!)
- • Aquariums
- • Streaming services
🌍 But what if the power goes out worldwide?
How likely is a global blackout?
A simultaneous, worldwide power outage lasting several days is practically impossible:
- • Power grids of continents are not connected
- • Each country has independent power plants
- • No natural disaster can destroy all grids simultaneously
- • Solar storms only affect specific regions
- • Local outages are fixed within hours to days
What happens to Bitcoin during a power outage?
Nothing bad. Because:
- • The blockchain is stored on thousands of nodes worldwide
- • Each node has a complete copy of all transactions
- • When power returns, nodes go automatically online
- • No data is lost, no accounts disappear
- • Bitcoin has no central server that could fail
Unlike banks, Bitcoin doesn't need an IT department, no hotline, no password reset.
The Conclusion
Our entire modern society depends on electricity. This is not a weakness of Bitcoin – it's the reality of our civilization.
If the power goes out, Bitcoin is the least of our problems.
And when the power comes back on – which it will – Bitcoin works immediately again.