Merge Day, Still On Grid: Cambridge Maps Ethereum's Humble 7.87 GWh Appetite 🍸

A new study from the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance has placed Ethereum near the lower end of energy intensity among major proof-of-stake networks, though the chain still consumes more electricity in absolute terms than most PoS peers. Researchers estimated Ethereum uses about 7.87 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity per year. Adjusted for market value, that figure worked out to roughly 33 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per $1 million of network value, the second-lowest reading among the PoS chains measured and trailing only BNB Chain. Solana drew the most electricity in the comparison at approximately 13.48 GWh annually, with an energy intensity near 283 kWh per $1 million, about 8.5 times Ethereum's ratio. The surveyed PoS networks together consumed roughly 38 GWh per year.

The report, titled "The energy and emissions footprint of post-Merge Ethereum," offers one of the most detailed looks yet at the network's electricity draw since Ethereum transitioned from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake in the Merge in September 2022. Cambridge measured wall-plug consumption across 20 combinations of Ethereum's main software clients, finding that a typical home setup used about 18 watts, while a more powerful workstation used roughly 153 watts. Based on Ethereum's mix of residential and professionally hosted nodes, the team pegged average draw at about 105 watts per node, drawing on around 8,522 discoverable full nodes, with 64% running in cloud or enterprise facilities and 36% on residential connections.

Researchers tied Ethereum's remaining emissions profile primarily to the electricity grids supplying those nodes. They estimated that about 56.4% of the network's electricity mix came from renewable and nuclear sources, compared with 43.6% from fossil fuels. Post-Merge analyses have routinely shown the upgrade cut Ethereum's electricity use by more than 99.9% by replacing energy-intensive mining with staking-based validation. Cambridge framed the new figures as a more current basis for policymakers and investors comparing blockchain sustainability across PoS networks.