William Shatner Boldly Goes to Fight Bitcoin’s Carbon Footprint

A recent study estimated that mining Bitcoin consumes as much electricity

as the Republic of Ireland. Hollywood actor William Shatner,

who is best known as Captain Kirk in Star Trek,

is now involved in efforts aimed at pushing for renewable energy

use in the mining of the flagship cryptocurrency. This, he argues,

is good for the environment as well as the bottom line.

As a renewable energy advocate, Shatner serves as a spokesperson

for Solar Alliance, a company based in Vancouver. The Canadian

firm recently acquired an abandoned warehouse in Murphysboro, Illinois

where it will build a 3-megawatt solar farm. The renewable energy

company will then rent out space to cryptocurrency miners once the

facility becomes operational.

“As an advocate for solar energy I was intrigued by the

potential for it to power cryptocurrency mining operations.

They are energy intensive and utilizing solar arrays to power

them makes social and economic sense,” said Shatner in a press statement.

No Longer a ‘Snob Currency’

Shatner was not always pro-Bitcoin though.

Four years ago he branded (sic) ‘bit coin’ a ‘cyber snob currency’.

But his views seem to have evolved as he told the Chicago Tribune

recently that as much as the concept of cryptocurrencies is

‘really strange’ the idea make sense once one’s understanding deepens.

Solar Alliance’s choice of Illinois was driven in part by the state’s policies

as well as incentives. According to the company’s CEO, Jason Bak,

Illinois requires utility firms to purchase renewable energy.

The Canadian company was also incentivized into acquiring the 165,000-foot

warehouse by Murphysboro’s mayor, Will Stephens, as part of an initiative

known as “Renewing the Murphysboro Community Through Green Energy Jobs”.

The warehouse has been vacant for more than a decade and previously

housed a label-making factory.

CHEERS