Bitcoin and Ethereum: their mining consumes the equivalent of a nuclear power plant

Your graphics card can bring you money! With such a promise, cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin and Ethereum attract more and more curious, amateur or professional, not to mention companies that see in their technology the foundations of the future of financial exchanges. Unfortunately, cryptocurrencies have an enormous defect: they consume an unreasonable energy.

According to Digiconomist calculations, the mining of Bitcoin and Ehtereum, the two major virtual currencies, requires nothing less than 19.16 TWh per year. 19 160 billion watts-hours per year. That is as much as a country of 18 million inhabitants like Syria or about as much as the production of one of the 19 French nuclear power plants.

The future is alarming because by its very nature, the difficulty of creating cryptocurrencies is increasing. Before their use becomes commonplace, Bitcoin, Ethereum and their cousins will have to transform to reduce their appetite in watts.