As solar power proliferates across the U.S., some developers have sought out farmlands for their flat terrain, roadways and electric infrastructure.
However, there has been pushback in some rural areas by residents who view large solar arrays as an industrial threat to area scenery and livelihoods. In November, a post began spreading on Facebook claiming that replacing cornfields with solar panels may actually exacerbate climate change.
“Corn sequesters 36,000 lb of carbon per acre/yr. An acre of grass draws down 920 lbs of carbon. So an acre of solar panels where corn once grew will be a net loss of 35,080 lbs of carbon taken from the atmosphere,” reads the Nov. 21 post, which cites a "Michigan State study."
“Wanna cause global warming?" it continues. "Solar panels on farmland is a good place to start.”
The post was shared more than 300 times within a day. But the claim is wrong – both misquoting and misunderstanding an article on the subject.
Special access for subscribers! Click here to sign up for our fact-check text chat
Corn cannot permanently remove the amount of carbon claimed in the post. Carbon dioxide is absorbed by growing corn plants but is quickly released back to the atmosphere after the corn is harvested. The claim also ignores the benefits of solar panels in mitigating climate change.
USA TODAY reached out to the social media users who shared the claim for comment.
HELENA, Mont. — Three Montana health care providers have been arrested for claiming health services that were never provided. The Department of Justice's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit revealed over ...