PV solar panel flights: anti-theft solution?

[Christophe]

PARIS - The development of solar energy in France could have an unexpected consequence: the multiplication of thefts of solar panels on the roofs of houses.

Theft of this type is not confirmed by the police or the gendarmerie, whose statistics report thefts and burglaries, without specifying the nature of the stolen objects.

But in the eyes of industry professionals, these thefts are a reality.

"I've heard about it," Pierre-Yves Le Borgn ', vice president for public affairs for Europe at the US company First Solar, told Reuters.

He was speaking at the Ministry of Ecology, on the sidelines of the signing of an agreement between his group and EDF Energies Nouvelles for the construction of the largest solar panel manufacturing plant in France.

"The panels are stolen to be resold as they are", emphasizes Pâris Mouratoglou, chairman of the board of directors of EDF Energies nouvelles. "In individuals it is not easy to take it apart, but when you have the time and you are not disturbed, it is possible."

According to him, thefts are more numerous in Italy, where solar is well developed.

However, no theft was observed in the solar farms of First Solar and EDF Nouvelles Energies, which are protected. "The farms are guarded. There are barriers, guards, a cost for security which is not negligible," notes Pâris Mouratoglou.

When buying a solar panel, it costs around 1.000 euros per square meter - for a single house, 1 to 1,5 m2 must be provided per person.

For Pierre-Yves Le Borgn ', the panels are all the more valuable as their lifespan is long, at least 25 years.

"A solar panel is quite inexhaustible. In our sales contracts, we have a 25-year commitment, but nothing tells you that it will not last 26, 27 or 35 years," he emphasizes .

According to EDF Energies nouvelles, researchers are already thinking about solutions.

"There are projects under development so that we can not only track signs but also ensure that when you steal one, it can't work elsewhere."said Pâris Mouratoglou.

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[Soreo]

Hello,

This phenomenon is still quite marginal in France nevertheless it is true that an effective and permanent solution should be found.

For example, in the company I work for, we insure solar panels against theft while waiting to find a real solution (tamper-proof fixing, etc.).

I hope that soon the panel manufacturers will find a way to stop this traffic because a solar panel remains a fairly expensive good and if the flights increase this could be a brake on the purchase of photovoltaic panels and therefore prevent development of this beautiful source of energy.

I wish you a beautiful and sunny late afternoon

Soreoblogger

http://www.soreo-energie.fr

[I Citro]

This is the case with all expensive products.
A few years ago, plasma screens were sold for the price of a family sedan (over € 20.000). There were then real "dilligences attacks". The trucks leaving the factory in the French Basque country were frequently attacked and disappeared in the wild, the driver finding himself a pedestrian after having known the soft caress of a pistol barrel on the temple ... (I have one day hitchhiked one of them).

Today, this kind of product attracts less lust ... they are worth 10 times cheaper in stores ...

Strongly that the solar panels cost 10 times less ...

That said, this type of organized crime is expanding in France, but little is said about it.