9 myths about Bitcoin energy use, debunked by data: ESG expert

Despite Bitcoin’s rising organization adoption successful 2025, its biology interaction is inactive being misunderstood and misinterpreted by many, according to ESG adept Daniel Batten. 

In an X thread connected Saturday, Batten said determination are 9 communal criticisms of Bitcoin mining’s vigor usage that tin beryllium debunked by real-world data.

“Every nascent disruptive exertion is accompanied by claims that are based connected deficiency of understanding, deficiency of data, and a fearfulness of thing unknown,” said Batten.

In November, the Dow Jones lambasted Harvard University for investing immoderate of its endowment successful BTC, labelling it arsenic a “fake currency and money-laundering instrumentality that is besides an biology catastrophe.“

In July, Bloomberg claimed that Bitcoin “devours the energy meant for the world’s poor.”

Myth: Bitcoin is resource-intensive, destabilizes powerfulness grids

The premise that Bitcoin consumes a batch of energy, water, and e-waste per transaction is simply “not true,” helium said. 

Batten argues this has already been debunked by 4 peer-reviewed studies concluding that assets usage is autarkic of transaction volume. “This means that Bitcoin transaction measurement tin standard without expanding assets use.”

Secondly, the assertion that Bitcoin mining destabilizes powerfulness grids is besides a myth, arsenic it really does the other — stabilizing grids done flexible load management, particularly connected renewable-heavy grids similar those successful Texas.

Bitcoin mining does not summation powerfulness costs

There is besides nary information to enactment the assertion that mundane consumers wage much for energy due to the fact that of Bitcoin miners, helium said. 

“Neither successful the data, nor successful a peer-reviewed survey is determination grounds to enactment the claim,” helium added, highlighting respective instances erstwhile Bitcoin mining has been recovered to assistance little prices. 

Related: Bitcoin mining’s 2026 reckoning: AI pivots, borderline unit and a combat to survive

Fourthly, comparing Bitcoin’s vigor usage to full countries is misleading due to the fact that the absorption should beryllium connected vigor root transformation, not the simplification of usage, according to the Intergovernmental Panel connected Climate Change (IPCC).

“The planetary computing web utilized to enactment Bitcoin already uses much vigor than Thailand oregon Poland - yes, really,” reported Morningstar successful November.  

“Bitcoin’s c footprint is precise high,” is besides a flawed connection due to the fact that mining has nary nonstop emissions, lone scope-2 emissions from energy usage,” said Batten. 

“Bitcoin mining is, successful fact, the lone planetary manufacture for which determination is robust, third-party information showing it has crossed the 50% sustainable vigor threshold.”

Bitcoin mining emissions strength is falling. Source: Daniel Batten

Proof-of-stake is not needfully better

Batten besides argued with the conception that proof-of-stake Ethereum (ETH) is amended for the situation than proof-of-work Bitcoin (BTC). Claiming this makes PoS much environmentally affable “errs by conflating vigor usage with harm,” helium said. 

In 2022, an nonfiction from the Australian Financial Review astir Ethereum’s modulation to proof-of-stake described the blockchain arsenic antecedently utilizing arsenic overmuch energy arsenic Chile.

Screenshot of a 2022 nonfiction astir Ethereum’s Merge. Source: AFR

However, Batten argues PoW offers galore benefits, specified arsenic the quality to mitigate methane, supply stableness to the vigor grid, summation renewable vigor capacity, and monetize wasted renewable energy.

The statement that landfill and flare state could beryllium utilized for things different than Bitcoin mining is “technically true,” but economically infeasible since lone Bitcoin’s economics marque stranded methane viable, Batten argued. 

Bitcoin mining promotes renewable vigor usage

The assertion that Bitcoin mining takes distant renewable vigor from different users is besides false, arsenic grounds shows the opposite, helium said. 

“Many radical present person entree to renewable vigor who different would not have, arsenic a nonstop effect of Bitcoin mining,” reported Batten, citing a task called Gridless successful Africa, which has delivered renewable vigor to an estimated 28,000 people. 

Finally, the statement that “Bitcoin mining wastes energy” is simply a story due to the fact that it prevents renewable vigor waste, achieving implicit 90% of star and upwind utilization successful studies, according to the ESG expert. 

“Further, ‘wasting energy’ is not an nonsubjective assessment, but a worth judgment. One tin lone assertion that vigor is wasted if nary bully to humanity is produced successful the process.”

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