US town fears solar panels will ‘suck up’ sun’s energy

Retired science teacher argues that panels would steal sunlight from plants and keep them from growing

A US town recently rejected a proposal to allow a solar company to build a solar farm after residents argued that the panels would suck up the sun’s energy, interfere with photosynthesis, make people move away and reduce property value.

Bobby Mann, a resident of the town, argued that solar farms would suck up all the energy from the sun, and that “all the young people are going to move out.”



Jane Mann, a retired science teacher, argued that the panels would interfere with photosynthesis and would keep plants from growing. She said she had observed areas near solar panels where the plants had died and reasoned that this was because they did not get enough sunlight.

“I want to know what’s going to happen,” Mann said. “I want information. Enough is enough. I don’t see the profit for the town… People come with hidden agendas. Until we can find if anything is going to damage this community, we shouldn’t sign any paper.”



Mann added that no one could tell her that solar panels did not cause cancer.

The town council has previously accepted proposals for three other solar farms.

Another resident, Mary Hobbs said that her home was surrounded by solar farms and was no longer worth its previous value because of those facilities. She added that the town was slowly becoming a ghost town with no job opportunities for young people.



A company representative later addressed the gathering to clarify that the only sunlight the panels use is that which hits them directly. "The panels don’t draw additional sunlight."

The council voted for a moratorium on future solar farms.

This article originally appeared on Roanoke-Chowan News Herald.