Companies Find Ways to Guard Solar Panels as Solar Theft Rises

Like any other material item that comes with a price tag, solar panels can (and do) get stolen. With reports of solar panel theft coming out of countries as far away as South Africa, Australia or Britain, it’s not a phenomenon particular to California, which has seen solar panels filched from buildings ranging from public schools to wineries and seems to be the main source of solar crime in the U.S. While solar theft is still new enough that statistics for it aren’t readily available, it has become enough of a concern to owners and law enforcement officials that several companies have developed various security measures to keep them locked down on the roof where they belong.

Detective Todd Hancock, a sheriff’s deputy in California, puts it this way: “It seems to be the theft du jour.”

While solar theft has been reportedly down over the past few months, thanks to softening demand for solar panels and lowered prices, authorities expect it to rise once the economy goes on the mend and demand jumps back up. After all, it’s fairly easy to drive a truck up to a building, unload a few dozen panels and speed away.

“You’d be surprised,” says Mr. Hunt, of Heliotex [a company that specializes in systems for cleaning solar panels]. “Someone can back a truck that says Acme Solar up to a house and unload a roof in the middle of the day. It happens.”

The WSJ article linked above points to reports suggesting thriving American and Mexican black markets for solar panels, which typically cost more than $1,000 new and can fetch a few hundred dollars resold. A two-person team of thieves can dismantle an entire roof of panels in a couple of hours and generally take 40 to 50 panels per job. Takers of pilfered panels may include unscrupulous solar installers, as well as buyers (unsuspecting or not) on eBay and Craigslist.

Small wonder, then, that companies are beginning to offer products and services safeguarding against this kind of crime. In addition to offering systems for washing solar panels, Heliotex also sells customized stainless-steel bolts that are priced at around $5 each and can’t be undone by ordinary screwdrivers or wrenches and require a special key (given to the installer) to come undone. CodeSource offers laser-sketched bar codes and serial numbers, which make it impossible for thieves to remove the tracking or identification devices from any panel they take. And for those who like to scare thieves pantless, Gridlock Solar Security sells security systems that emit a deafening siren the minute a panel wired to the system is disturbed.

Still, some experts believe that residential consumers have little need for expensive lockdowns. “In your average neighborhood, if a truck pulled up and guys started pulling panels off your roof, someone would see it,” says Tom McCalmont, CEO of Regrid Power Inc., which installs solar systems in central and northern California. “The neighborhood-watch approach seems to work pretty well.”

It’s up to the owner, of course, to make the call. Panel owners can reduce the risk of theft by making sure no movable ladders are readily available for thieves to use and by blocking access to exterior ladders. Any costlier measures, though—that’s up to you.

“People will spend a tremendous amount of mental effort figuring out what kind of alarm to put in a $20,000 car, but they’ll put a $100,000 solar array on the roof without giving it a second thought,” says Stephen Clarke, an assistant vice president at ISO, which provides risk analysis for insurance firms.