Ethereum's transition to the Proof-of-Stake (PoS) algorithm, known as The Merge, has fundamentally changed the network's energy profile. According to my analysis of data provided by the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF), Ethereum's annual energy consumption is now approximately 7.87 GWh. This is a colossal reduction of 99.96% compared to pre-upgrade levels, when the network operated on Proof-of-Work (PoW).
To understand the scale: before The Merge, the network's continuous power consumption was about 2.4 GW. Now, this figure is estimated at roughly 0.90 MW. This was made possible by a fundamental change in the security model. With PoW, electricity was the direct cost of securing the blockchain. After the transition to PoS, it became an operational expense for nodes, with security now ensured by staked capital.
Calculation Methodology and Actual Data
CCAF researchers applied a "bottom-up" approach, measuring the actual electricity consumption of 20 combinations of client software and hardware configurations. A home setup consumes about 18 W, while a professional workstation uses up to 150 W. Considering that 36% of nodes operate on home connections and 64% in cloud or corporate infrastructure, the average figure was around 105 W per node.
The calculation is based on approximately 8,522 detectable full nodes. It is important to note that this is a lower bound, as the monitoring system does not account for closed setups, nodes behind firewalls, or configurations with detection disabled. The baseline scenario yields 7.87 GWh per year. The lower and upper bounds range from 1.26 GWh to 11.49 GWh respectively, calculated for cases where all nodes operate only on home devices or only on professional workstations.
Geographic Distribution and Centralization Risks
As of May 2026, 31% of detectable full nodes are located in the United States, 16% in Germany, 8% in Finland, and 6% in France. Together, these countries host about 62% of the infrastructure. The largest hosting providers—Hetzner, AWS, and OVH—serve about 40% of nodes. This dependence on a few operators creates a significant risk: the simultaneous shutdown of a substantial portion of the infrastructure could seriously destabilize the network. This is one of the key drawbacks of the current model, requiring close attention from the community.
Comparison with Other PoS Networks and Carbon Footprint
In absolute energy consumption, Ethereum ranks second among the studied PoS networks, trailing only Solana, which consumes about 13.48 GWh per year. However, when normalized by market capitalization, Ethereum shows an impressive result: about 33 kWh per $1 million of network value. For comparison, Solana's figure is 283 kWh per $1 million—8.5 times higher. A lower result was recorded only for BNB Chain.
Ethereum's carbon footprint after The Merge has decreased by 99.98% and is estimated at approximately 2,370 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent per year. Renewable and nuclear sources provide 56.4% of the electricity powering the nodes. Further emission reductions will depend on the decarbonization of energy systems in the countries hosting the nodes.
My expert conclusion: The Merge was a triumph of engineering, radically reducing Ethereum's energy consumption. However, new risks related to the centralization of infrastructure among a few hosting providers require active solutions. Vitalik Buterin's roadmap, which includes quantum resistance, privacy, and scaling, must address these challenges to ensure the network's long-term sustainability.