https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/7xmvbq/bitcoin-energy-science-world-electricity-demandNow Motherboard is not the best source for news, but let's consider the implications of this...
Consuming immense amounts of energy is actually somewhat counterproductive if we consider the vision of Bitcoin giving us tools for independence. And it's somewhat unethical because we should not be using more than we need on this earth.
However, we don't really know how much energy it is consuming at this stage, so this could just be another reporter trying to find a story.
The solution is private green power plants. Such a current practically does not cost and does not consume natural resources. This is a very good solution.