Solar panel thiefs
Last Post 11 Mar 2009 09:26 AM by TechGromit. 3 Replies.
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dkhenderUser is Offline
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26 Feb 2009 05:27 PM
Hey this is my first post to the forum!  I work on green data centers, but am new to green building.  I am thinking of installing solar panels to power my home in rural marin county.  I would like to place them several hundred feet away from the house, but am worried about security.  10 panels were just stolen from a middle school nearby, and I don't want the same thing to happen to me.  Has anyone had any panels stolen previously or have any advice for me about securing the panels?  placing them on the roof is not an option.  Thanks.

Also, I just watched an interesting series of green IT speakers on Brighttalk.com, and saw that there is a green building summit coming up in april.  Thought you guys might be interested.  Here is the link.  http://www.brighttalk.com/webcasts/search/Green%2520Building%2520Summit/status/upcoming
Road BlockUser is Offline
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02 Mar 2009 09:54 AM
Nothing on securing the panels but you could monitor the area using a hidden IR game camera like this http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_101897____SearchResults
It would only be useful after somebody stole the panels but you might find another use for it as well.
PaulcfUser is Offline
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02 Mar 2009 10:44 PM
May I suggest that you look into using solar panel roof shingles then? You can do a search on the Internet for them. They are hard to tell that they're solar collectors (PV) and easy to install. That way too, you can observe them if they need cleaning and there is no power loss of DV voltage over the distance you want to install panels. Plus if your panels are that far away, you also need to have clear sun exposure to them meaning more trees to cut (assuming you live in a wooded area). Having the panels away from your house may be too much of a temptation! Be sure not to ignore wind power too!
TechGromitUser is Offline
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11 Mar 2009 09:26 AM

They make special screws called Security screws. They require a special screwdriver bit to unscrew them. Here's a Link,

Link

I would suggest that you use these kinds of screws to secure them. While it's true that any thief could order there own set of security drivers, it would require an extra step over the spur of the moment kind of theft.


If you really want to make your installation at one time thing, use a grinder to grind off the heads on regular screws. Just gring off enough so there nothing left to get a screwdrver on it, but not enough to take off the head of the screw. Doing this will require anyone removing the panels to use a sawsaw or cutting torch to get the screws out. Also the damage to the panels screw holes would make them less portable for resale. Try to get flush screw heads as possible and coat everything with grease when your done, so they can't get a pliers on the screw head.    

Another suggestion would be to have trees like Douglas-Fir's in front of the solar panels blocking the direct line of sight from the road. 

You could also get a security camera pointed at the panels and have to record to computer. You could get a package setup for a few hundred dollars. 

In the end nothing is going to pervent a determined thief for stealing anything they want. The Best you can do is try to make things more difficult for them. 

   

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