How Does PoW’s Energy Consumption Compare to the Costs of Operating a Traditional Financial Clearinghouse?

PoW's energy consumption is a direct operational cost to secure the network and is often criticized for its scale. Traditional financial clearinghouses and payment systems also have massive operational costs, including energy for data centers, physical infrastructure, and personnel.

While direct comparison is complex, the costs for both are substantial and necessary to secure and process financial transactions on a global scale.