AAP FACTCHECK – An image does not depict a battered Queensland solar farm, despite claims on social media.
The 2018 image shows a solar facility in Puerto Rico, which has been edited to look like a recent news report using a graphics template.
The claim about damage to a solar farm appeared a Facebook post after wet and windy weather thrashed parts of Queensland earlier in January.
“Shared – Where is that idiot (Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris) Bowen? Whoever thought it was a good idea to build a solar farm in far North Queensland,” the caption said.
“Oh yes, it was clueless politicians, who most likely spent millions on feasibility studies, to confirm the suitability of this location.
“The locals could have told them from experience, that it was a stupid idea, especially with the wild weather North QLD experiences during their wet season.
“Now what are they going to do with those toxic Chinese panels?”
The post featured an image of what appears to be a screengrab from a TV news report with the headline: “BREAKING NEWS NORTHERN QLD SOLAR SMASHED”.
The report includes an image of a severely damaged solar panel facility. It features the Nine News logo in the top left corner.
However, the image is not from Queensland or Nine News.
A reverse image search revealed the photo shows a damaged solar facility on the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico.
Forbes.com published the image in May 2018 after Hurricane Maria struck the US territory the previous year.
The news graphics are fake and resemble those used on breakyourownnews.com, a fake news generator.
The earliest instance of the fake screengrab AAP FactCheck found on social media was in an X post.
AAP FactCheck could find no credible reports of solar farms being damaged by recent inclement weather in Queensland.
The Verdict
False – The claim is inaccurate.
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