New Solar-Powered Crypto Mining Outfit Blasts Off, Backed by Star Trek's Shatner

William Shatner, the former fictional Captain Kirk from Star Trek, is the spokesperson for a new solar-powered cryptocurrency mining facility, according to a press release published yesterday, June 13.

The recently acquired mining warehouse, located in Murphysboro, Illinois, covers 165,000 square feet and was purchased for a "Nominal cost" by Solar Alliance Energy as part of a green energy jobs initiative for the town of Murphysboro.

Solar Alliance has also signed a memorandum of understanding with a solar panel manufacturer for developing the equipment for solar-powered crypto mining operations.

"I am proud to be a part of the group that is powering the digital currency revolution. Blockchain technologies, and cryptocurrencies specifically, are at the cutting edge of a new distributed technology infrastructure The combination of solar and cryptocurrency mining facilities represents meaningful change."

Will Stevens, the mayor of Murphysboro, said in the press release that the new solar-powered crypto mining facility "Is a wonderful opportunity to move Murphysboro forward toward a brighter future:".

Cryptocurrency mining is often condemned for using large amounts of energy and actively causing harm to the environment.

The question of whether crypto mining is actually making a real impact on the environment has long been a point of contention.

While some say that mining is harmful with its high use of energy, others believe that the environmental cost of mining is negligible.

Intel recently filed a patent for a Bitcoin mining hardware accelerator that would reduce the amount of energy used in mining by reducing the space used and the power consumed by the hardware.

In the beginning of June, one of Europe's most energy-efficient data centers began testing mining of Bitcoin and Ethereum in terms of energy consumption and infrastructure cooling.