New Cambridge analysis exhibits Ethereum’s power use and emissions have dropped by greater than 99.9% since The Merge.
Ethereum now makes use of about 7.87 GWh of electrical energy every year, in response to the Cambridge Centre for Various Finance. The report says that is greater than 99.9% under Ethereum’s ultimate pre-Merge degree.
Cambridge additionally estimated Ethereum’s yearly emissions at about 2.37 ktCO₂e. That determine represents a roughly 99.98% drop from the community’s ultimate Proof-of-Work baseline.
The report was produced by the Cambridge Centre for Various Finance at Cambridge Choose Enterprise Faculty. It used a bottom-up audit of about 8,522 Ethereum nodes worldwide.
The findings present that Ethereum’s power profile modified sharply after The Merge. Additionally they present that native energy grids now form many of the remaining carbon footprint.
Ethereum’s Energy Use Falls After The Merge
The merger moved Ethereum from Proof-of-Work to Proof-of-Stake in 2022. Proof-of-Work used miners that competed with computing energy. Proof-of-Stake makes use of validators that safe the community by staking ETH.
Cambridge mentioned Ethereum now attracts about 0.90 megawatts of steady energy. Its ultimate pre-Merge baseline was about 2.4 gigawatts, in response to the report. This exhibits how a lot electrical energy demand fell after mining ended.
The report in contrast Ethereum’s annual demand with the British Museum’s electrical energy use. Ethereum’s 7.87 GWh is lower than half the museum’s reported 16.18 GWh yearly demand. This comparability helps present the present scale in easier phrases.
Cambridge Audit Tracks Nodes and Internet hosting
Cambridge primarily based its estimate on actual community infrastructure, not solely theoretical fashions. The audit coated about 8,522 nodes that course of Ethereum community information. These nodes assist maintain copies of the blockchain and share updates.
Cambridge Report: Ethereum’s Annual Energy Use Falls to 7.87 GWh After The Merge
In response to a brand new report from the Cambridge Centre for Various Finance (CCAF), Ethereum consumes roughly 7.87 GWh of electrical energy yearly following The Merge, a decline of greater than 99.9%… pic.twitter.com/W2vWJW7BO8
— Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) July 10, 2026
The report separated nodes from Ethereum’s roughly 894,000 validators. Validators assist verify transactions and safe the community by means of staked ETH. Nodes course of information, whereas validators present financial safety for the chain.
Cambridge used wall-plug measurements from 20 consumer mixtures and internet hosting information. The report estimated common energy use at about 105 watts per node. Residential setups had a median of 18 watts, whereas bigger setups used extra.
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Grid Vitality Now Shapes Ethereum’s Footprint
The report discovered that the US hosts 31% of Ethereum full nodes. Germany hosts 16%, Finland hosts 8%, and France hosts 6%. Collectively, these 4 nations host about 62% of full nodes.
Cambridge mentioned 36% of nodes run on residential {hardware}. The remaining 64% use cloud or enterprise information facilities. Hetzner, Amazon Internet Companies, and OVH host about 40% of all nodes mixed.
Cambridge discovered that 56.4% of Ethereum’s electrical energy comes from sustainable sources. Renewables provide 39.4%, whereas nuclear energy provides one other 17.0%. Pure fuel stays the biggest single supply at 27.7%.
The report mentioned Ethereum’s footprint now relies upon primarily on native grid carbon depth. In easy phrases, node location now issues greater than the consensus system.