Former captain of the USS Enterprise, William Shatner, is aiming to harness the power of the sun’s energy in an attempt to clean up cryptocurrency’s carbon footprint.
In his role as spokesperson for Solar Alliance, Shatner announced plans on Thursday to build a solar-powered crypto-mining farm which will be leased out to mining pools in need of clean energy supplies.
While the former Starship captain is enthusiastic about his new role with Solar Alliance, he is quite open about his struggle to get to grips with cryptocurrency in general. Shatner told John Keilman of the Chicago Tribune:
“The concept is so, I guess the word is bizarre. You have to blank your mind and say, ‘What is blockchain, again? How does mining operate, again?’ The concepts are really strange, and yet when you begin to grasp it, it makes sense.”
Prime location
Solar Alliance is an alternative energy developer based in Vancouver and they recently saw an opportunity to take advantage of the state of Illinois’ current energy regulations, which state that utility providers must use some portion of clean energy in their business process. Solar Alliance also benefited from an act of generosity by the mayor of Murphysboro, the Illinois town in which they hope to set up shop.
Mayor Will Stephens granted the firm a 165,000 square foot factory to set up their operations, with the 14-acre surrounding piece of land to be used for hosting solar panel arrays.
The mayor saw the announcement as a boost for the township of Murphysboro, which has a population of 8,000 inhabitants. Mayor Stephens said:
“From my perspective, we’re going to have someone who will occupy a previously derelict property, and whatever development comes out of it will just make it more marketable if the project is not successful.”
Join the Alliance
As Shatner tweeted on Wednesday:
“As Spokesperson for @Solar_Alliance I’m proud to announce that they are developing North America’s first large scale solar powered cryptocurrency mining facility. I feel like a miner forty-niner: but where’s my Clementine? #JointheAlliance”
This isn’t the first time Shatner has used his fame to promote a crypto project. Last November he was paid to promote Datum, the platform which allows users to get paid for their personal data.
When asked if he would boldly venture out to the mining farm himself, Shatner said:
“I might very well do that. It’s an interesting idea to see it at work because … it’s so esoteric that it’s difficult to understand.”
