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“People are fueled by misinformation.”
Photo Credit: iStock
An organized group of 1,200 members is using AI slop to spread misinformation across social media in a bid to stop solar panels and wind turbines from getting approval.
This anti-solar organization seems to stop at nothing in their quest to slow the renewable energy markets expansion.
Their latest target was Iberia Parish, Louisiana. When plans for a large solar farm surfaced nearby, the group set in motion an AI bot campaign, and fear took hold. Fueled by viral claims about toxic panels, cancer, and even solar-caused tornadoes.
According to Tennessee Lookout, Facebook posts and AI-generated content helped fuel opposition in a rural Louisiana parish, effectively stopping a $175 million solar project.
In July 2025, Iberia Parish passed a rule requiring utility-scale solar facilities to be at least half a mile from residential property lines. Local advocates warned that this requirement likely killed the planned Acadiana Solar project.
At a June 2025 council meeting, opponents cited potential fires, soil contamination, chemical leaks, and declining property values. Resident Cathrine DeGroat said, “I’ve done my own research. I don’t need anybody to tell me that it can’t cause cancer, or that they don’t crack and things don’t seep out.”
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Researchers and other experts said the evidence does not support those allegations, but it seems the misinformation was spread deep enough to make any expert opinions irrelevant.
Terrence Chambers, the retired director of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s Center of Efficiency and Sustainable Energy, told lawmakers that “rainwater does not wash any toxic materials into the soil.” His research team found that solar plants produce “no harmful emissions or runoff” that would damage farmland.
In Acadiana, anti-solar organizing picked up speed on Facebook, including a group with about 1,200 members focused on stopping utility-scale solar in Iberia Parish. Threat intelligence company Alethea also found that similar anti-solar posts in several states were tied to anonymously operated “AI slop machine” accounts designed to imitate local grassroots anger.
The Iberia proposal also promised local tax revenue and lease payments for landowners, including Andree McAnally, whose family had planned to host part of the project. She told parish officials, “People are fueled by misinformation.”
Even though research shows solar panels are largely inert in normal use, they have become a flashpoint in these disputes.
Louisiana has continued to add solar capacity even amid local opposition.
Researchers said solar projects can generate far more property tax revenue than farmland on their own, and 19 projects are already operating statewide. Tennessee Lookout reported that the Oxbow solar project in Pointe Coupee Parish is expected to generate $9.7 million in local tax revenue during its first three years.
The state has also strengthened cleanup requirements. Louisiana law requires solar projects to have decommissioning plans and closure funds in place before construction starts, a safeguard meant to ease fears that panels could one day be left behind like orphaned oil and gas sites.
For those who want to help reduce pollution and save money, rooftop solar can sidestep legislation that is impacted by misinformation. For households looking to reduce both energy costs and health risks, smaller changes can make a difference. Cutting back on gas-burning appliances, improving ventilation, and modernizing your home can help reduce exposure to indoor air pollution while making it easier to use clean energy.
As Monika Gerhart, who leads the Gulf States Renewable Energy Industries Association, told Tennessee Lookout: “The question is whether those projects will be over the state lines in Texas or Arkansas or Mississippi, or whether Louisiana is going to be able to avail itself of that revenue.”
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