The Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance has ranked Ethereum near the lower end of energy intensity among major proof-of-stake blockchains, according to a new study released today. The network consumed 7.87 gigawatt-hours of electricity annually and registered market-value-adjusted energy intensity of 33 kilowatt-hours per $1 million, the second-lowest figure among the PoS networks assessed.
The finding comes nearly four years after Ethereum’s transition from proof-of-work mining to proof-of-stake validation through the Merge in September 2022. That shift reduced the network’s electricity consumption by 99.9 percent, replacing energy-intensive mining operations with validator staking.
Comparative Energy Intensity
While Ethereum ranked favorably on intensity metrics, the network still consumed more electricity in absolute terms than most of the PoS blockchains in the comparison. The study examined multiple PoS networks, including BNB Chain and Solana, which together with Ethereum accounted for 38 gigawatt-hours of combined annual consumption.
Solana, by contrast, consumed 13.48 gigawatt-hours annually but registered significantly higher energy intensity at 283 kilowatt-hours per $1 million, making Solana’s energy intensity 8.5 times greater than Ethereum’s. The Cambridge researchers measured electricity consumption across 20 combinations of Ethereum’s main software clients to establish the baseline figures.
Node Infrastructure and Power Requirements
Ethereum operates 8,522 discoverable full nodes distributed across residential and enterprise infrastructure. A typical home node setup draws 18 watts, while more powerful workstation configurations consume 153 watts. The average power draw per node measured 105 watts across the network.
Infrastructure distribution shapes Ethereum’s overall electricity footprint. Sixty-four percent of Ethereum nodes run in cloud or enterprise facilities, while 36 percent operate on residential connections. Ethereum’s remaining emissions are driven mainly by the electricity grids supplying its nodes, the study indicates.
Energy Source Composition
Ethereum’s electricity mix reflected 56.4 percent renewable and nuclear sources, with 43.6 percent derived from fossil fuels. The Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance did not specify the publication date of the study or identify individual researchers involved in the analysis.
