Solar theft on the rise in Germany

As the solar market begins to boom across the globe, the industry is starting to draw interest from all sorts of new people and organizations. An unfortunate byproduct of this new value is of course an increased potential for crime.

According to the Financial Times, solar theft is starting to become a problem in Germany. In the city of Brandenberg, people have stolen nearly $600,000 worth of panels already this year. Last year, approximately 6,000 panels were stolen for upward of $800,000 in damages.

From the Financial Times:

“Solar theft continues to increase, despite the measures taken to prevent it,” said Frank Fiedler, chief executive of solar product trading site SecondSol. “Thieves are able to escape with thousands of euros worth of equipment, which they consider a profitable night’s work.”

As we’ve noted previously, there are steps you can take to prevent solar theft. The best way to avoid these issues is to install a security system to identify any attempt of breaking into the solar farm or disassembling panels on the roof. Security systems must be reliable and withstand any weather condition.

For more information on theft prevention, check out Protecting Your Assets.

— Solar Builder magazine

[source: http://solarbuildermag.com/news/solar-theft-on-the-rise-in-germany/]