A single transaction on the Solana network consumes 0.000752 kWh (2707 Joules) of energy, whereas a typical Google search consumes 0.0003 kWh (1,080 Joules).
Solana is an open-source, public blockchain with high performance that supports smart contracts, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and various decentralized applications (dApps). The Solana network is designed to scale effectively for worldwide adoption. Anatoly Yakovenko and current Solana board member and Chief Operations Officer Raj Gokal, founded it in 2017. The SOL token, native to Solana’s blockchain, provides network security and a mechanism for transferring value through staking.
Last year, the Solana Foundation attempted to learn how large its energy footprint is as part of the Solana goal to be internationally adopted and reached out to Robert Murphy, asking him to determine the environmental impact of transactions on the Solana network in May 2021. Robert is an independent energy and cryptocurrency expert.
Robert Murphy compared the energy utilization of ordinary activities and other blockchain networks to Solana’s energy usage in a report by Solana. According to the March 2022 Solana’s Energy Use Report, one transaction on the Solana network now uses 2707 Joules of energy or less. In contrast, a typical Google search consumes 1,080 Joules, slightly higher than a single Solana transaction energy usage report from a few months ago. One Solana transaction consumes 1,837 Joules of energy, while two Google searches consume 2,160 Joules of power, according to Solana’s report from November 2021.
Although the average Solana transaction energy consumption has increased, the network is currently incredibly efficient, and its transaction energy consumption is significantly below the energy usage of blockchains such as Ethereum (equivalent to 287,305 Solana transactions) and Bitcoin (equal to 2,738,710 Solana transactions).
Furthermore, overall, Solana emissions are growing. The increase in validators has increased emissions. Validators’ number increased from 1,479 in December 2021 to 1,762 in March 2022. The network’s estimated CO2 emissions increased from 2,524 tonnes to 2,976 tonnes per year. Because the number of validators is likely to grow, the Solana Foundation said it would find a way to reduce its impact through Solana’s climate program.
