A US town has rejected a proposal for a solar farm following public concerns.

Members of the public in Woodland, North Carolina, expressed their fear and mistrust at the proposal to allow Strata Solar Company to build a solar farm off Highway 258.

During the Woodland Town Council meeting, one local man, Bobby Mann, said solar farms would suck up all the energy from the sun and businesses would not go to Woodland, the Roanoke-Chowan News Herald reported.

Jane Mann, a retired science teacher, said she was concerned the panels would prevent plants in the area from photosynthesizing, stopping them from growing.

Ms Mann said she had seen areas near solar panels where plants are brown and dead because they did not get enough sunlight.

She also questioned the high number of cancer deaths in the area, saying no one could tell her solar panels didn't cause cancer.

World's biggest solar car race

The area around Woodland is a popular choice because it has an electrical substation allowing the panels to be hooked up to the national grid.

A spokesperson for Strata told the meeting: "There are no negative impacts. A solar farm is a wonderful use for a property like this."

They added: "The panels don't draw additional sunlight."

The council voted three to one against rezoning the land and later voted for a moratorium on future solar farms. Among the reasons they gave were that a growing solar industry would harm the economy and reduce the value of homes in the area.

Solar panels around the world Show all 11 1 /11 Solar panels around the world Solar panels around the world China Photovoltaic solar panels on the roof of the Chint Group office building in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China Rex Features Solar panels around the world France On 13 October 2011 France launched its largest-ever solar energy farm, with an array of panels spread over about 200 hectares (500 acres) in the mountainous southern Alpes-de-Haute-Provence region in Les Mees. With a production capacity of 90 megawatts, the vast photovoltaic park features nearly 113,000 solar panels and was built at a cost of 110 million euros ($137 million) AFP Solar panels around the world United States Solar Panels, Photovoltaic array at the University of New Mexico, Taos campus, USA Rex Features Solar panels around the world China Large solar panels are seen in a solar power plant in Hami, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous region AFP Solar panels around the world France Some of the panels of France's biggest photovoltaic power station in Bordeaux. This station, with its 60.000 panels set on the parking of the Bordeaux-Lac international fair was launched in May 2012 AFP Solar panels around the world France Built on a former NATO base, this is one of the most important photovoltaic plant in France, located at Crucey near Chartres. It was developed by electricity provider EDF (Electricite de France) AFP Solar panels around the world UK The project manager from solar century walks between lines of solar panels erected at Weighbridge, Wheal Jane, Baldhu near Truro, England. Launched in 2011, this was the first solar farm in the South West and biggest in the UK Getty Images Solar panels around the world China A worker climbs over a solar panel at a solar factory in Longyou county, Zhejiang province Reuters Solar panels around the world Germany Workers install solar panels containing photovoltaic cells at the new Solarpark Eggersdorf solar park in 2012 near Muencheberg, Germany. The park, which was being built by German solar energy operator juwi Solar GmbH and contains 85,000 solar modules and is one of many similar projects in eastern Germany Getty Images Solar panels around the world UK In 2010 homeowners had solar panels installed this month as growing numbers of people and companies look to cash in on the Government's renewable energy scheme PA Solar panels around the world United States In 2009 a solar panel system was installed on the roof of a business building in Gainesville, Florida. Gainesville became the first city in the nation to have a solar feed-in tariff ordinance which meant owners of new solar photovoltaic systems were eligible to receive 32 cents per kilowatt hour of electricity produced by the system over the next 20 years Getty Images

Speaking after the COP-21 summit on climate change in Paris pledged to limit global warming below the threshold of 2°c, Pope Francis said the plan will require "a concerted and generous commitment" from everyone.