Please use some brainpower (perhaps 12 watts) to give this thought-provoking article a review. While energy consumed by mining has no analog for fiat currency, Bitcoin detractors who complain about energy needs may not be fully weighting the comparable consumption from day-to-day electronic transactions in fiat. Further, the ability to locate mining operations where green(er) energy is abundant (e.g., near geothermal sources) may be underappreciated.
| less than a minute read
Reposted from Linklaters - Tech Insights
How power-needy is Bitcoin?
On the face of it, the question about energy use is a fair one. According to the Cambridge Center for Alternative Finance (CCAF), Bitcoin currently consumes around 110 Terawatt Hours per year — 0.55% of global electricity production, or roughly equivalent to the annual energy draw of small countries like Malaysia or Sweden. This certainly sounds like a lot of energy. But how much energy should a monetary system consume?
Sign up for real-time updates on the latest ESG developments, delivered straight to your inbox - subscribe now!
/Passle/5f6c57568cb62a0d7c9eadee/SearchServiceImages/2026-01-28-14-47-21-400-697a2179e8715be98458d80a.jpg)
Our ESG expertise To find out more about our ESG practice, click here Our ESG OutlookSee our ESG Outlook 2026 - with our top 5...
/Passle/5f6c57568cb62a0d7c9eadee/MediaLibrary/Images/2025-01-15-13-59-32-056-6787bf44ab56ae4f199ac135.jpg)
/Passle/5f6c57568cb62a0d7c9eadee/MediaLibrary/Images/2026-02-05-13-35-28-903-69849ca0db300c6e5a226fce.jpg)
/Passle/5f6c57568cb62a0d7c9eadee/SearchServiceImages/2026-02-05-11-08-09-360-69847a19ff168c7c437c1ec3.jpg)
/Passle/5f6c57568cb62a0d7c9eadee/SearchServiceImages/2026-01-20-16-02-24-523-696fa710ad488fb876c2d71e.jpg)