UCL
University College London (UCL), a top-10 globally ranked university, has published a significant new research paper on the varying environmental impacts of different distributed ledger technologies (DLT). The paper examined the energy consumption of second-generation consensus models such as Proof-of-Stake, which promise to provide more favourable energy consumption characteristics than their Proof-of-Work predecessors. Researcher’s at UCL’s Centre for Blockchain Technologies (UCL CBT) quantified and compared the energy demands of six second-generation systems: Algorand, Cardano, Ethereum 2.0, Hedera Hashgraph, Polkadot, and Tezos. The full paper can be found here .
The research paper found that Hedera Hashgraph had the lowest overall energy consumption of the systems studied. Dr. Paolo Tasca, Executive Director at UCL CBT, said: “At this point, the benefits of Proof-of-Stake are well-recognised and understood in the blockchain space. However, through this research we have found that not all Proof-of-Stake networks are created equally. This is something that both investors and adopters need to be wary of when selecting their network of choice. While it’s fantastic to see that Ethereum 2.0 will be Proof-of-Stake, looking at these results it’s clear that we need to remain vigilant of its potential environmental impact.”
The research was conducted by UCL CBT by formalizing a basic mathematical consumption model for validator-based Sybil attack resistance schemes. This model allows quantifying the energy consumption per transaction based on common input variables, such as the number of validators and the throughput characteristics of the system analysed.
Ultimately, the study found that the energy needs of the varying consensus protocols was dependent on the number of active validators. The UCL researchers warned that distributed ledger technology (DLT) networks need to be wary of the effect of different design choices in their architecture over energy consumption, as well as of the quality of the hardware used by the node operators. The research concluded that DLT networks must remain focused on environmental friendliness as scale increases.
Dr. Tasca concluded: “The findings of this study are a fantastic starting point for improving existing DLT design options, as well as developing new consensus protocols while keeping sustainability front of mind. We found that, through applying contemporary throughput and validator counts, Hedera Hashgraph has the most favourable energy consumption characteristics.”
For more information, download the full report at: http://blockchain.cs.ucl.ac.uk/blockchain-energy-consumption/
About University College London
Founded in 1826 in the heart of London, UCL is London's leading multidisciplinary university, with more than 13,000 staff and 42,000 students from 150 different countries. Ranked 8th in the world by QS World University Rankings in 2022, University College London is amongst the best universities in the world. It was the first university in England to welcome students of any religion and the first to welcome women on equal terms with men. UCL's founding principles of academic excellence and research aimed at addressing real-world problems continue to inform its ethos to this day through focusing its research endeavours on the Grand Challenges of Global Health, Sustainable Cities, Cultural Understanding, Human Wellbeing, Transformative Technology, and Justice & Equality. UCL’s dedication to world-class research, education and innovation is recognised through its globally recognised ranking. In the most recent Research Excellence Framework, UCL was the top-rated university in the UK for research strength.
About the UCL Centre for Blockchain Technologies (UCL CBT)
UCL CBT is the world’s largest research centre on blockchain technologies by number of associates. Founded in 2015 by Prof. Paolo Tasca and Prof. Tomaso Aste, its mission is to research the effects of Distributed Ledger Technologies and Blockchain into our socio-economic systems and to promote the safe and organic development and adoption of Blockchain-based platforms.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210908005169/en/
Social Media:
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Andersen Consulting tilføjer samarbejdspartneren Cloud2321.11.2025 18:45:00 CET | Pressemeddelelse
Andersen Consulting indgår en samarbejdsaftale med Cloud23, en næstegenerations konsulentvirksomhed, der integrerer data og kunstig intelligens med henblik på at drive digital transformation. Cloud23 er baseret i Sydafrika og leverer intelligente, platformsbaserede løsninger til kunder inden for sektorer som finans, telekommunikation, sundhedsvæsen og produktion. Virksomhedens ydelser spænder over Salesforce-rådgivning og -implementering, managed services og ai-strategi, hvilket giver organisationer mulighed for at modernisere kundeengagement, optimere driften og skabe målbare resultater. “Vores mål hos Cloud23 har altid været at forenkle transformation gennem smart, skalerbart design,” udtaler Ram Ramakrishnan, stifter og administrerende direktør for Cloud23. “Vi fokuserer på at afstemme teknologi med formål og levere resultater, der understøtter langsigtet vækst, kundeværdi og innovation. Samarbejdet med Andersen Consulting giver os mulighed for at styrke vores mission og opnå en stø
AI Takes Out the Trash: Largest U.S. Recycling Project to Extend Landfill Life for Virginia Residents21.11.2025 13:30:00 CET | Press release
Southeastern Public Service Authority of Virginia contracts with AMP to cost-effectively process municipal solid waste, boost recycling and landfill diversion rates The Southeastern Public Service Authority of Virginia (“SPSA”), the regional waste authority for South Hampton Roads, has signed a 20-year contract with Commonwealth Sortation LLC, an affiliate of AMP Robotics Corporation (together, “AMP”), to provide solid waste processing services for SPSA’s eight member communities and their 1.2 million residents. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251120330758/en/ Building on a nearly two-year pilot project in Portsmouth—which featured an AMP ONE™ system capable of processing up to 150 tons of locally sourced municipal solid waste (“MSW”) per day—AMP will now scale its technology region-wide. Under this long-term partnership, which will facilitate the largest recycling project in the country, AMP will deploy addit
RSA Recognized for the Second Consecutive Year in the 2025 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Access Management21.11.2025 13:00:00 CET | Press release
RSA, the security-first identity leader, today announced that RSA® ID Plus has been recognized for the second year in a row in the Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Access Management. “The RSA Access Management strategy has never been about being everything to everyone,” said Greg Nelson, RSA CEO. “We specialize in protecting organizations where risk tolerance is at its lowest and security requirements are at their highest. Our focus is intentional: providing security-first access management that supports compliance, ensures resilience, and delivers confidence at scale.” “RSA specializes in the workforce access management use cases where security, compliance, and operational resilience are non-negotiables,” said Jim Taylor, RSA President, Chief Product and Strategy Officer. “Our product development strategy will continue to emphasize the key qualities that highly regulated industries prioritize, including user experience, strong support for workforce management, and intelligent posture mana
NIQ and Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) Collaborate to Measure Reach and Impact of Cross-Platform Ad Campaigns in Italy21.11.2025 09:00:00 CET | Press release
NIQ and Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) have announced a new collaboration to study the effectiveness of cross-platform advertising across linear TV and Amazon Ads inventory in Italy. Through the collaboration advertisers and agencies will gain actionable insights into the relative performance of ad placements across digital, linear TV and streaming environments, including how each contributes to incremental reach and influences product purchases on Amazon’s ecommerce platforms. The insights are made possible by using high-quality data from Sinottica®—a well-established single-source consumer panel in Italy owned by NIQ—with data from Amazon Marketing Cloud. Specifically, the research will leverage Sinottica’s linear TV data alongside several Amazon inventory sources, including Amazon DSP, Sponsored Ads (Products, Brands, Display), and Streaming TV (Prime Video, Twitch, Fire TV). This approach will enable a deeper understanding of how ad exposure across digital and TV channels translates
Ahead of Holiday Season, Visa Identifies Five Transformative Forces Reshaping Global Payment Security20.11.2025 19:50:00 CET | Press release
New Biannual Threats Report Reveals Fundamental Shift in Fraud Operations as Criminals Adopt Industrial-Scale Tactics To celebrate International Fraud Awareness Week, Visa (NYSE: V) today released its Fall 2025 Biannual Threats Report, revealing five forces that are transforming the global payments security landscape. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251120412198/en/ The report, produced by Visa's Payment Ecosystem Risk and Control (PERC) team, draws on intelligence from Visa's global network to identify how criminal operations are evolving with unprecedented speed, scale, and sophistication. "The payments ecosystem is experiencing a paradigm shift in how fraud operates," said Paul Fabara, Chief Risk and Client Services Officer at Visa. "Criminals are no longer working as opportunistic individuals-- they're operating like tech startups, building reusable infrastructure and deploying systematic, industrial-scale
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom