Blockchain technology powers a decentralized future, but its energy demands can’t be ignored.
At GORBIO Powerhouse, we’re tackling this challenge head-on with real-time analytics to help users, developers, and policymakers understand and optimize blockchain energy use.
In this post, we break down how we measure power consumption for blockchains like Bitcoin and Ethereum, offering a clear, step-by-step look at our methodology.
We combine three key data points: network hashrate (the total computational power securing the blockchain), hardware efficiency metrics (energy used per hash operation), and regional energy profiles (the mix of fossil fuels vs. renewables in mining regions).
This approach delivers accurate, real-time wattage estimates you can trust. For instance, we calculate Bitcoin’s hashrate from public sources like Blockchair, adjust for the efficiency of modern ASIC miners (e.g., 0.045 J/GH for SHA-256), and factor in regional energy grids—such as China’s coal-heavy mix or Iceland’s geothermal dominance.
Take Bitcoin and Ethereum as examples: Bitcoin’s SHA-256 Proof-of-Work (PoW) mining consumes millions of watts daily—often exceeding 100 TWh annually, rivaling the energy use of mid-sized countries like Poland. In contrast, Ethereum’s 2022 shift to Proof-of-Stake (PoS) slashed its energy footprint by over 99%, dropping from PoW’s 80 TWh/year to under 0.01 TWh/year, akin to running a few thousand laptops. Curious about the live numbers?
Visit our Dashboard to see real-time data for these and other blockchains like Ravencoin or Ergo, updated every minute.
We’re not stopping here. Our team is refining these models by integrating AI-driven predictions and expanding coverage to emerging blockchains like Conflux and Etica.
Want to dive deeper? Use our API to pull custom data (e.g., GET /api?blockchain_name=bitcoin) or explore our Docs for technical details. Stay tuned for future posts on reducing blockchain energy costs and leveraging renewables—practical steps toward a greener crypto ecosystem.
View our slideshow here: https://gor.bio/assets/docs/report1.pdf