Elon Musk recently revived the “51 % renewables” benchmark, stating that the energy backing Bitcoin “can’t be faked.”

The reference is to his earlier promise that Tesla would resume accepting Bitcoin payments once at least half of mining energy came from clean or low-carbon sources.

However, now that the latest data suggests the network may have crossed that threshold, Tesla still hasn’t re-enabled BTC checkout. Why?

Has Bitcoin passed the bar yet?

According to the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance’s 2025 Digital Mining Industry Report, sustainable energy now powers approximately 52.4 % of surveyed Bitcoin mining activity.

Of that, 42.6 % is from renewables (hydro, wind, solar, etc.) and 9.8 % from nuclear or other low-carbon sources. In parallel, fossil fuel contributions have shifted: natural gas now accounts for 38.2 % (up from ~25 % in 2022), and coal has fallen to 8.9 % (down from ~36.6 %).