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North Carolina Town Defeats Big Solar's Plan To Suck Up the Sun (arstechnica.com)
mdsolar writes with this excerpt from Ars Technica: The citizens of Woodland, N.C. have spoken loud and clear: They don't want none of them highfalutin solar panels in their good town. They scare off the kids. "All the young people are going to move out," warned Bobby Mann, a local resident concerned about the future of his burg. Worse, Mann said, the solar panels would suck up all the energy from the Sun. Another resident -- a retired science teacher, no less -- expressed concern that a proposed solar farm would block photosynthesis, and prevent nearby plants from growing. Jane Mann then went on to add that there seemed to have been a lot of cancer deaths in the area, and that no one could tell her solar panels didn't cause cancer. "I want information," Mann said. "Enough is enough."
These people will be the death of us all.
People with IQ's averaging UNDER 100 are 50% of the vote. Some day dumb people should be just set up to vote in fake elections. They won't know.
I think there might be other reasons for young people moving away. Their narrow-minded elders, a town council willing to be swayed by nonsensical arguments, the simple pure idiocy that seems to prevail. The people who stay are happy with the situation (or just can't get out).
Oh arse
I appreciate that the summary and associated news stories are presenting a fair, unbiased view of the situation, free from ridicule and sarcasm (SWIDT?).
This would have been the THIRD solar farm approved in the vicinity of the town -- there are already two solar projects underway.
The solar farm would not have increased tax revenues or added value to the town. It would not likely employ any of the town's residents.
Yes, the town residents are poorly informed about solar -- they have two projects underway and haven't seen the results of them yet.
The town council did what the town council is supposed to do -- represent the will of their constituents. The solar company seeking the zoning change would have been well advised to work on communicating and educating the town they needed permission from. Why would the town council overrule their voters in exchange for...nothing?
There's quite a double standard when it comes to education -- take someone in an urban environment who can't name their state capital or point to the United States on a map, and it's the fault of the school system and their environment. Take a similarly ignorant person for a rural environment and suddenly they become a willfully hick and fully at fault for not seeking out and drinking deep of the cup of knowledge.
"expressed concern that a proposed solar farm would block photosynthesis."
Enough shade and nothing will grow, same reason you don't put the solar panels in the shade. Making him sound like an idiot when he is actually correct is a bit of a dick move. makes you wonder if who ever wrote this has an agenda...
"All the young people are going to move out."
If I were a young person and lived in rural America, I would be chomping at the bit to move to a city somewhere. As an older adult that is currently living in rural America, I can wholeheartedly understand. Living in rural America sucks, especially if you're educated and cultured. I spend the first 35 years of my life living in cities and thought country farm living might be a nice change of pace. Boy, was I wrong.
"The solar panels will block photosynthesis in nearby plants"
Absolutely true, if we change the word "block" to "reduce." After all, solar panels cast a shadow on the ground, and grass on the ground is a nearby plant.
But see, here's the reason it is completely irrelevant how this town voted. It is because they voted. We do not live in an authoritarian dictatorship where the technorati or envirorati or hipsterati get to decide for everyone else what is good for them. The voters of a political subdivision get to decide for themselves how to deploy and use their resources, because, you know, democracy. If they want to be stupid-as-fuck rednecks, it is their right whether the rest of us like it or not.
The one saving grace might be the ACA precedent that gave the government the power to force people to take action and buy products. This may allow the federal government to compel people against their will to buy solar panels and carbon credits and other products the government sees fit we should buy. But, someone with standing will have to sue in federal court that the lack of deploying solar panels is causing them a demonstrable loss. That might be tricky, but if the SCOTUS can apply the same tortured logic that they used in Wickard v. Filburn and NIFB v. Seleblius, then it should be only academic once a test case floats to the top.
You can find ignorant people anywhere. Some places, like slashdot, just have more than their fair share.
I see bigotry for the southern US is alive and well here on Slashdot. Why look into all the facts when you can parrot this juicy headline.
Conservative, mod down for violating
this guy is right.... in the shade below the panel, it prevents photosynthesis. So does his house. I suggest we demolish it and let him live in a hole in the ground.
Except TFA clearly states this happened in Woodland not Woodlawn.
So ... did you make the same typo several times ? Or is it possible you are thinking of entirely the wrong town ?
Unicode killed the ASCII-art *
Bottom 40 of 50? So they are 11th?
The writer of an article chose to ignore the entirety of the panel discussion and select a few ignorant and irrelevant statements made during the proceedings just to give the people a rise. And thus the reaction we see here. It looks like there are more ignorant folks out there than just the few in this town.
Nice cherry picking. The reaction is to the people making those statements - and a State where these people vote, and prove their stupidity often. After all, y'all had a Governor by name of Mark Sanford, who was using State money to travel to South America to get a little regular on the side poontang. Then after that y'all elected him to th eHouse of Representatives. I'll bet he's gettin' regular strange in DC. Stupid people, KKK homeland, and people who can be outraged over a presidential blowjob, but rewarding of using guvmint money to facilitate dippin yer wick to a feriner, and then rewarding it.
Forgive us - for we only make fun of North Carolina because they've worked so hard to deserve it.
The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
In short if the science is in conflict with your political belief, you will find a reason to distrust it, and point out the science is part of some conspiracy.
GMO Foods, Study after study shows no negative effect on people. However the liberal activists still fear of its danger because of the conspiracy of the Agro business is hiding the real science. It is to a point where anything GMO even if it is just extra nutrients to help feed the poor is still outcasted and millions of people starve, because it is scary science.
Conservatives: Will not believe in a science that is shown to be dangerous.
Liberals: Will not believe in a science that is shown to be good.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.