- Ethereum consumes roughly 7.87 GWh annually, the second-lowest energy intensity per market value among major proof-of-stake blockchains.
- Solana leads PoS networks in total electricity use at 13.48 GWh per year, with an intensity 8.5 times higher than Ethereum’s.
- Cambridge estimated an average node power draw of 105 watts, with 56.4% of the network’s electricity coming from renewable and nuclear sources.
- The Merge reduced Ethereum’s electricity consumption by more than 99.9% by replacing energy-intensive mining with proof-of-stake validation.
The Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance estimated that Ethereum consumes about 7.87 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity annually. When adjusted for market value, the network used roughly 33 kWh per $1 million, the second-lowest figure among the proof-of-stake networks assessed, behind BNB Chain. Meanwhile, Solana consumed the most electricity among PoS networks at about 13.48 GWh per year, with an intensity of roughly 283 kWh per $1 million—around 8.5 times Ethereum’s level. Combined, all PoS networks studied used about 38 GWh annually.
To measure Ethereum’s post-Merge footprint, Cambridge examined electricity draws across 20 software-client combinations. A typical home setup used roughly 18 watts, while a powerful workstation consumed about 153 watts. Using the mix of residential and professionally hosted nodes, researchers estimated an average power draw of 105 watts per node. The study counted around 8,522 discoverable full nodes, with 64% running in cloud or enterprise facilities and 36% on residential connections. Consequently, Ethereum’s remaining emissions are driven largely by the grids powering its nodes, with about 56.4% of its electricity mix coming from renewable and nuclear sources and 43.6% from fossil fuels. The September 2022 Merge eliminated energy-intensive mining, cutting the network’s electricity use by over 99.9%.
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