Bill Maher says crypto mining uses 8% of world’s electricity — he's wrong
In a recent viral video, HBO talk show host Bill Maher wholeheartedly broadcasted his belief that crypto mining consumes 8% of world electricity production. Unfortunately for Bill, that’s completely untrue. In fact, the real figure is less than 1%. Estimates range from 90 to a maximum of 240 terawatt-hours (TWh) per year, with most estimates for worldwide bitcoin mining in 2023 nearer to 121 TWh. Even the US Energy Administration estimates somewhere in the region of 120 TWh. Although significant, this figure isn’t even a single percentage point of global electricity consumption in 2023, which totaled over 27,000 TWh. Even using the highest, 240 TWh figure, crypto mining’s electricity consumption would still be below 1%. Maher broadcast the claim across national television and internet streaming services, including in posts to his 10.8 million followers on X (formerly twitter) and 938,000 on Instagram. Viewers dunk on the talk show host Comments rained in — many ...