All across the country, local governments are restricting and banning clean energy projects. I heard rumors that misinformation on Facebook was a major cause of this. So I joined ~40 anti-wind and solar groups to see some of it for myself. The results were bleak.
Virtually all experts agree that wind and solar energy are clean, safe, and affordable. But many of the posts in these groups would lead you to exactly the opposite conclusion. To see why, let's start by looking at a post I saw A LOT:
The wind turbine on fire post. (showing pictures of burning wind turbines)
In almost every group I saw stories, pictures, and videos of wind turbines on fire. This was surprising to me. I've been writing about clean energy for a while now and I've never heard of a wind turbine catching fire. And that makes sense if you look at the data.
According to a recent DoE study, there were 40,000 turbines in America in 2017. By that point, there had only been 40 incidents. And no one was injured. By comparison, pollution from fossil fuels kills millions every year.
WINDExchange: Wind Energy Projects and Safety
But in these groups, my feed was full of wind turbine accidents. Turbines blowing up, leaking oil, throwing ice at people's cars on the highway. The message was clear: wind turbines aren't safe.
Another argument I saw a lot was the idea that wind and solar are bad for human health. In 2009, Nina Pierpont argued that infrasound from wind turbines causes headaches, nausea, and dizziness. She called it "wind turbine syndrome."
In virtually every group I saw the same link to Pierpont's book. But there's a problem with this research. Since 2009, dozens of scientists have looked for the symptoms Pierpont wrote about. None have found any reason to believe turbines are bad for human health.
I saw similarly misleading arguments against solar. Many groups were full of long posts about how toxic materials in solar panels would eventually make it into their town's water supply. Again, there's no evidence for solar panels contaminating a community's water supply.
The problem is that this misinformation is having real world impacts. It's changing voters' minds. It's changing local policy. And it's slowing down the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy.
Victoria in Boone County, Indiana is an example of someone who used to support clean energy. But then she read about the fires, health risks, and toxins. Now she's not only anti-wind and solar, she's an evangelist for the cause, changing the minds of those around her. These groups, led by passionate activists like Victoria, have succeeded at getting their local governments to pass policies like:
- Wind and solar bans
- Moratoriums that delay projects
- Setbacks that make it impossible to build
Others, like Crawford Anti-Wind—a group in rural Ohio—have taken their fight to the ballot box. Here's what the "Facts" page on their website looks like: (picture of a burning wind turbine)
Groups like these are successfully blocking clean energy all over the country. As of March 2022, wind and solar projects were delayed by local opposition in 49 states. By that time, local governments in 31 states had passed restrictive policies.
Climate Law Blog » Blog Archive » Renewable Energy Projects Face Opposition in 49 States, Local Restrictions in 31 States
In order to meet our climate targets, we're going to need to build a huge amount of clean energy. Unfortunately the misinformation spreading throughout these Facebook groups is making that already daunting task much harder.
Next week I'll be taking a look at who is funding and spreading this misinformation. Stay tuned for Part 2.
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