For years, crypto has been criticized as an electricity guzzler harming the planet. A new Cambridge study now presents figures that could reshape the narrative - at least for Ethereum. The Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance estimates that Ethereum consumes only about 7.87 gigawatt-hours of electricity per year.
When adjusted for market value, the network uses around 33 kilowatt-hours per $1 million in value - the second lowest among all evaluated proof-of-stake networks, trailing only BNB Chain in efficiency. This marks one of the most detailed assessments of Ethereum’s post-Merge energy footprint.
A Far More Power-Hungry Competitor
The contrast is stark when Solana enters the equation. Solana consumes the most electricity among the analyzed proof-of-stake networks - around 13.48 gigawatt-hours per year. Its energy intensity reaches approximately 283 kilowatt-hours per $1 million in market value, or roughly 8.5 times that of Ethereum. For context, all networks in the comparison collectively consume around 38 gigawatt-hours.
Cambridge measured plug-level power draw across 20 major Ethereum software client combinations. The results show that a typical home device draws only around 18 watts, while high-performance workstations draw about 153 watts. With a mix of residential and professionally managed nodes, the average power draw per node is estimated at roughly 105 watts. Cambridge identified approximately 8,522 detected full nodes, with 64 percent operating in cloud or enterprise facilities.
The Legacy of ‘The Merge’
Ethereum’s remaining emissions are now primarily determined by the power grids supplying its nodes. The study estimates that about 56.4 percent of its electricity mix comes from renewable and nuclear sources, with the remaining 43.6 percent derived from fossil fuels. This follows the major transition in September 2022, when Ethereum switched from proof-of-work mining to proof-of-stake validation via The Merge - a move estimated at the time to have cut network power consumption by more than 99.9 percent.
What It Means for the Future of Crypto
Concrete data of this kind provides policymakers and investors with a fresher foundation to compare sustainability across blockchains. Amid mounting global climate pressure, networks that can prove their energy efficiency hold an advantage that goes beyond ethics, offering appeal to institutions mandated to maintain green credentials. The Ethereum versus Solana comparison highlights that in the proof-of-stake era, blockchain competition is no longer just about speed and fees - but also about how much electricity they burn to operate.
Reported via Cointelegraph.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational and educational purposes only, not financial advice. Cryptocurrency assets are highly volatile and carry significant risk. Always do your own research (DYOR) and never invest more than you can afford to lose.
