North Carolina Town Thinks Solar Panels Cause Cancer And “Suck Up All The Energy From The Sun”
A North Carolina town rejected the addition of more solar panels this week because they’re hilariously afraid of science. A resident actually said, out loud, and on the record, that solar farms “would suck up all the energy from the sun and businesses would not come to Woodland.”
Even worse, Jane Mann, a retired high school science teacher — no I’m not kidding — “questioned the high number of cancer deaths in the area, saying no one could tell her that solar panels didn’t cause cancer.” One can only imagine her views on vaccines, the world being flat, or gravity. No one can tell her those don’t cause cancer, either.
From Roanoke-Chowan News Herald:
“I want to know what’s going to happen,” she said. “I want information. Enough is enough. I don’t see the profit for the town.
“People come with hidden agendas,” she said. “Until we can find if anything is going to damage this community, we shouldn’t sign any paper.”
I get that energy is a contentious issue these days. Whether you want to save the environment or your bottom line, there are plenty of valid arguments for clean energy, just as there are good economic arguments in support of coal and oil. Still, valid arguments don’t include sucking up the sun’s energy or “Well, they can’t tell me it doesn’t cause cancer,” especially when plenty of actual scientists say just that.
Stupid isn’t a good look, regardless of your views..
[via Roanoke-Chowan News Herald]
Image via Shutterstock

Fun Fact: There was an article in a scientific journal a while ago where a dozen or so scientists said that solar panels were bad because they would suck up the energy of the sun. They also said that the sun would only contain a 50 year supply of energy because solar panels act like vacuums (completely false). Anyways, this scientific paper got accepted by many of the scientists who didn’t believe in global warming and has been cited in other articles thousands of times. There is still a cult following of researchers who believe that solar energy, if harnessed by solar panels, will cause the sun to stop emitting energy.
10 years ago at 9:31 amWow, there are some dumb mother fuckers out there
10 years ago at 9:34 am“Fun fact”. TSM.
10 years ago at 9:36 amI grew up in a rural NC town and I can vouch that people really are this dumb.
10 years ago at 9:38 amI expect nothing more from the Carolinas
10 years ago at 9:45 amFact: since the invention of solar panels, the earth has gotten warmer.
10 years ago at 1:00 pmThis makes me want to die
10 years ago at 7:20 pmI refuse to believe in this level of stupidity in our great nation. As an employee of a firm that manufactures certain raw materials for solar panels, I can’t begin to explain, even with my limited scientific knowledge, how ridiculous these statement are.
With that said, the “profit” for the town is still difficult to determine but will certainly rise as the technology becomes more efficient. I almost want to say these people don’t deserve alternative sources of energy, but I don’t want them to fuck up my power grid.
10 years ago at 9:33 amSteve Holt’s family made the news again.
10 years ago at 9:37 amDon’t you dare try to say that waste of oxygen comes from my state.
10 years ago at 10:40 amComm doesn’t have to, Steve has said it multiple times himself. Best of luck now
10 years ago at 10:46 amJust remember these people are legally allowed to vote and have children…..
10 years ago at 9:39 amAnd we wonder why our country is headed straight down the shitter?
10 years ago at 11:21 amThey are the reason Obama got elected… twice
10 years ago at 12:01 pmSound more like Trump voters to me.
10 years ago at 1:09 pmDenying climate change and fighting against the use of clean energy despite the facts #TFM
10 years ago at 9:45 amNo
10 years ago at 10:48 amGood god. Those people are straight idiots.
10 years ago at 9:56 amWhat kind of printer was used to print Jane’s degree? Teaching certificate?
10 years ago at 9:56 amHow the fuck do you think we drain the sun?
10 years ago at 10:19 amSolar panels suck up all the energy from the sun, just as Jane sucked up all the energy from her cousin.
10 years ago at 10:19 am“Our town will be powered by moonshine and broken dreams, like it always has been!”
10 years ago at 10:24 amJesus didn’t use solar panels.
10 years ago at 11:12 am