California Center for Sustainable Energy

Guard against rooftop robberies with simple steps

As proof that thieves will steal anything not locked down (and some things that are), solar panels have become the theft du jour in California with reports of rooftop robberies from homes and commercial buildings to public schools and wineries. In Napa County alone, at least 10 wineries have fallen prey to panel thieves during the past 16 months.

According to The Wall Street Journal, solar-panel theft is such a new phenomenon in the United States that there are no hard-and-fast statistics – just a series of anecdotal reports from around the country.

With individual solar panels costing $1,000 and up, a black market for stolen panels has developed in the U.S. and Mexico and spread onto the Internet at popular online shopping sites. A couple of guys with a pickup truck can haul away a load of solar panels fairly quickly if they are not well secured.

Here are some tips to protect solar panels and your investment.

• Make a map of the panels with their corresponding serial numbers, so you can identify stolen property
• Use locking bolts; they do slow down the thieves (similar to automobile wheel locks)
• Install an alarm system, either sound- and light-generating or silently monitored
• Install motion-trigger lights that illuminate panel installation area
• Block access to the roof and don’t have any ladders lying around
• Laser etch indentifying numbers on panels (manufacturer IDs sometimes can be removed)
• If you suspect anything, call the authorities – don’t confront the thieves

The principles of neighborhood watch also work pretty well – note any suspicious activities and take down license numbers of the vehicles; warn your neighbors and workers to do the same.

Consumers should also be on alert when selecting a contractor for their photovoltaic system. Several fraudulent contractors have been indicted in California for failing to install systems or return sizable down payments. As a safeguard, obtain at least three bids for a system and check the California Contractor’s State Licensing Board to determine a contractor’s legitimacy. Note: No contractor should ever ask for more than a 10 percent or $1,000 deposit.

Continue reading November's newsletter.