5 Security Measures To Prevent Solar Panel Theft
Physical security Solar panels need to be protected from theft or they will quickly disappear. This includes a number of finer-grained measures, each designed to enhance deterrence
By way of example, in August, solar panels worth approximately £10 500 were stolen from an energy farm in Northamptonshire. Solar panel theft is not limited to large scale and commercial solar farms either – homes in remote areas are also vulnerable, with thieves reportedly swiping panels from people's roofs. Why?
This specific spate of theft has been triggered by soaring values – particularly in relation to metals and machinery – and the low supply of farm machinery worldwide. And alongside machinery, recent figures from the UK police suggest criminals have set their sights on another lucrative opportunity – solar panels.
Once the criminal element realise that, solar farms naturally become a target,” Higgins says. Perhaps more surprisingly than copper, there are numerous instances of criminal gangs stealing entire solar modules, sometimes in very large numbers. Higgins says that the black market for solar panels is apparently quite active.
And alongside machinery, recent figures from the UK police suggest criminals have set their sights on another lucrative opportunity – solar panels. Solar is currently only a small part of the UK's energy mix, but its share is growing, with estimates from Solar Energy UK suggesting the total solar capacity stands at 15 GW.
Physical security Solar panels need to be protected from theft or they will quickly disappear. This includes a number of finer-grained measures, each designed to enhance deterrence
Securing solar panels against theft is essential. Choose 24/7 monitoring and smart technology to give your solar farm optimal protection.
By way of example, in August, solar panels worth approximately £10 500 were stolen from an energy farm in Northamptonshire. Solar panel theft is not limited to large scale and
Unbeknownst to them the stolen solar panels were marked with SmartTrace, DeterTech''s one-of-a- kind forensic marking technology powered by SmartWater technology.
In a similar case last July, 60 photovoltaic panels were stolen from the Yara solar park in Granma. Although two suspects were apprehended and the panels recovered, the incident prompted
I''ve been to one solar farm where three quarters of the panels on a 5MW site had been stolen.” Higgins tells PV Tech Premium a story of a site where over 150 modules were stolen.
So, while stolen panels are bad enough, this is far from the only threat to solar farm operators. Residential solar theft, by contrast, remains rare. Most homeowners live on or near the
May 2018: Approximately $65,000 worth of solar equipment, including panels and inverters, were stolen from a UK solar farm. August 2019: Two solar sites in the UK were hit. The
Solar Panel Marking and Registration: Marking or engraving your solar panels with unique identifiers and registering them with relevant authorities can make it easier to track and
Three gang members were successfully captured. On May 8 this year, Yangyuan County Public Security Bureau received a public alarm, saying that a theft occurred on a construction site near a village in
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