{"id":2583,"date":"2023-05-01T03:27:26","date_gmt":"2023-05-01T07:27:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ifintechworld.com\/markets\/crypto\/cambridge-study-reveals-ethereums-lifetime-energy-use-before-merge-on-par-with-switzerlands-annual-consumption\/"},"modified":"2023-05-01T03:27:27","modified_gmt":"2023-05-01T07:27:27","slug":"cambridge-study-reveals-ethereums-lifetime-energy-use-before-merge-on-par-with-switzerlands-annual-consumption","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ifintechworld.com\/?p=2583","title":{"rendered":"Cambridge Study Reveals Ethereum’s Lifetime Energy Use Before Merge on Par with Switzerland’s Annual Consumption"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A study conducted by Cambridge University\u2019s Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF) has found that the Ethereum network during its lifespan has used as much energy as Switzerland.<\/p>\n

According to the CCAF, the Ethereum network\u2019s energy consumption came in at a total of 58.26 Terawatt hours (TWh) between 2015 and the date of the Merge \u2013 the network\u2019s transition from Proof-of-Work to the Proof-of-Stake consensus mechanism \u2013 in September 2022.<\/p>\n

By comparison, the country of Switzerland\u2019s annual electricity consumption for the same period was 54.88 TWh.<\/p>\n

Bitcoin\u2019s energy consumption during the period was 143.9 TWh, according to the CCAF.<\/p>\n

The finding was published in a blog post by Alexander Neum\u00fcller, one of the researchers who work for the CCAF.<\/p>\n

According to Neum\u00fcller, the reduction in energy usage for Ethereum as a result of the switch to Proof-of-Stake has been \u201cstaggering.\u201d<\/p>\n

This stark difference in energy consumption highlights that one of the \u201ccore objectives\u201d of the Merge has been achieved, Neum\u00fcller wrote<\/p>\n

The Ethereum Foundation has in the past claimed that the transition to Proof-of-Stake will cut energy usage by 99.9%, and this is in line with CCAF\u2019s findings, the researcher added in his article.<\/p>\n

The same finding was also shared by the CCAF on Twitter, using an illustration that compared the Ethereum network to a raspberry and Bitcoin to Malaysia\u2019s Merdeka 118 skyscraper.<\/p>\n

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CCAF is best known for estimating the energy consumption of the Bitcoin network, as well as providing data on where Bitcoin mining takes place.<\/p>\n

In the past, the center has found that the US has taken over for China as the epicenter of global Bitcoin mining, with the country now responsible for nearly 38% of Bitcoin\u2019s global hashrate.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n