As we have reported on this blog before (see here and here), solar panels are sometimes stolen from homeowners’ rooftops. Panels — which can retail for many hundreds of dollars, depending on the size and type — are a particularly popular target in California, the nation’s largest solar market.

This latest incidence of solar theft comes from Rutherford, CA, where tens of thousands of dollars worth of panels were lifted from a local winery. As reported by the Napa Valley Register,

The winery reported the loss of  25 panels worth $30,000, according to the Napa County Sheriff’s Office.

This is the 17th reported theft of solar panels in Napa County since January 2008, the office said. This includes one theft in Napa’s city limits and another at Napa Valley College.

Most have occurred late at night or early in the morning in rural areas, the office said.

Sheriff’s officials are asking the public to pay close attention to suspicious people or vehicles and call the office at 253-4451 to report them.

While such theft isn’t particularly widespread, it does raise questions about how solar panels may impact homeowners insurance.