JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Facebook post shared over 100,000 times claims that solar farms will become "thunderstorm and tornado incubators and magnets." Is it true? We're here to Verify.
SOURCES:
- Dr. Chuck Kutscher, Fellow and Senior Research Associate, University of Colorado Boulder Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute.
- Research into the Facebook post and general meteorological knowledge.
THE QUESTION: Do solar farms cause thunderstorms and tornadoes?
THE ANSWER: No, solar farms do not cause thunderstorms or tornadoes.
WHAT WE FOUND:
A viral Facebook post claims that solar farms will turn into "thunderstorm and tornado incubators and magnets." This claim is false. Here’s why:
Expert Analysis
We consulted Kutscher, a senior research associate at the University of Colorado Boulder’s Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute. According to Kutscher, solar farms can create localized urban heat island effects, but these effects are minimal and do not cause large-scale weather phenomena like thunderstorms or tornadoes.
"Thunderstorms and tornadoes require a combination of factors including moisture, wind shear and atmospheric instability. The small amount of heat generated by solar farms is insignificant compared to the vast amounts of heat and moisture required for such weather events," Kutscher explains.
Kutscher also noted that conventional fossil fuel plants emit far more heat and moisture than solar farms, yet they do not cause thunderstorms or tornadoes. "If the small amount of heat from a solar farm could affect the weather, then we would expect to see even more significant impacts from conventional power plants, which we do not," he adds.
Inaccuracies in the post
The Facebook post contains several inaccuracies:
- The word "tornado" is misspelled.
- It claims that solar panels do not capture any of the visible spectrum of light, which is incorrect. Solar panels primarily capture visible light to generate electricity.
- The poster’s credentials, including claims of being a rocket scientist and working on the space shuttle, could not be verified through LinkedIn or relevant publications.
Furthermore, similar posts with nearly identical wording have been shared on Facebook over the past several years, indicating a pattern of misinformation.
CONCLUSION:
We can verify that the claim that solar farms attract thunderstorms and tornadoes is false. Solar farms do not generate the necessary conditions for such weather events.
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