Social media post claiming sizzling Texas heat melted wind turbine termed fake

"The damage to the turbine was definitely NOT related to heat or high temperatures."

(Reuters) - A photo of a wind turbine with fallen blades is making rounds on social media, with some users claiming the turbine was “melted” by the high temperatures Texas experienced in mid-June. This is untrue: the turbine located in Matagorda County was affected by storm winds, not heat, according to the National Weather Service (NWS) in Houston.

RWE Renawables, the company operating this wind farm, also confirmed to Reuters that a storm caused the damage. The claim circulates as a heatwave gripped the US Southwest which prompted power grid operators in Texas and California to urge consumers to conserve energy, as homes and businesses kept air conditioners cranked.

Examples of this posts can be seen on Facebook and Twitter.

It’s so hot in Texas right now the wind farms we imported from California and China are actually melting. pic.twitter.com/qbjFo33C0S

— Kenny Webster (@KenWebsterII) June 16, 2021

How hot is it in Texas this week? pic.twitter.com/0aARgFEEHr

— Joel Montfort (@jmontforttx) June 17, 2021

On June 14, the NWS in Houston stated on Twitter that the turbine, located near Wadsworth in Matagorda County, was damaged by a storm that passed that day.

The power of wind. (Damage to a wind turbine near Wadsworth in Matagorda County from a storm that passed through around 340pm). pic.twitter.com/osGB1sAocw

— NWS Houston (@NWSHouston) June 15, 2021

In an emailed statement to Reuters, Matt Tulis, Communication Manager for RWE Renewables, said the company “did have damage to one of the turbines on our project in Matagorda County, Texas, resulting from the storm earlier this week,” he said. “The damage to the turbine was definitely NOT related to heat or high temperatures.”

Only one of the 48 turbines at the company’s Peyton Creek wind farm in Matagorda County was affected, according to Tulis.