Bitcoin mining: Cleaner energy sources, but CO2 emissions climb 20%
Cambridge data shows low-carbon sources reached 59.4% of Bitcoin mining energy by December 2025, but total network consumption surged 38%, pushing emissions 20% higher.
According to the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance, by December 2025 low-carbon energy sources accounted for 59.4% of Bitcoin mining’s electricity use, up from 52.4% in June 2024. Hydropower overtook natural gas as the largest single source for the first time.
Over the same 18-month period, however, total network consumption rose 38% to 190 TWh, and CO₂ emissions increased 20% to 48 million tonnes. This means each kilowatt-hour got cleaner, but the rapid growth in mining demand meant absolute emissions still climbed.
On the AI diversification front, 40% of miners say they are exploring shifting capacity to AI, but only 10% have actually deployed such workloads.
Source: ForkLog