Edmonton thieves steal solar panels from rooftop
A ladder propped against the side of the North Glenora Community League hall was the first indication to staff arriving for work Monday morning that something was wrong.
At first, they couldn’t figure out what was going on, but further inspection revealed their $5,000 solar panel system had been stolen over the weekend.
Thieves had severed wires to steal a microinverter and five panels that had been installed several years ago as part of an Edmonton Federation of Community League pilot project to make their home base more green and sustainable.
President Ryan Young said the league is still trying to understand why someone would go to the effort to steal solar panels from a community organization.
“It’s so bizarre. Who steals solar panels?” Young said.
“Seriously. Who does that?
They are a few years old and the newer ones are even more efficient so, if you really wanted solar panels, you can get better ones.
“They are a few years old and the newer ones are even more efficient so, if you really wanted solar panels, you can get better ones. It really is kind of strange.”
At first, the organization thought that the theft occurred Sunday evening, but as the installer helpfully pointed out, the microinverter is registered online and tracks when the system is in use. According to the data, the system went offline Saturday evening. “If they use the microinverter, it will ping us straight away and we’ll know who stole it,” Young said. “Hopefully, they are not sophisticated thieves.”
Undeterred by the theft, Young said the league plans to replace the panels and continue to make upgrades to the hall to make it more energy efficient.
In fact, last week, several days before the theft, the league approved $75,000 for upgrades to the hall, which included increasing its solar capacity, Young said.
“It’s not going to stop us,” he said of the theft. “It’s just going to make us question how we can make them more secure.”
The theft has been reported to the Edmonton Police Service.