Stealing from the rooftops
Solar panels are flying off homes as thieves discover their value
FORGET burglar guards and razor wire on your windows and walls: South Africans will have to find innovative ways to safeguard their solar panels from thieves determined to keep them in the dark.
Lurking in the country’s dark underbelly are entrepreneurial criminals, who have found new ways to render the population powerless.
Solar panels, one of the more expensive but most effective ways to keep the lights on, are being stolen from rooftops in broad daylight.
Security companies and solar panel installers say the weight of solar panels and the complexity of installing them have not deterred thieves who have found a lucrative market born out of desperation.
ARTsolar, a company in New Germany which manufactures and installs solar panels, said they were aware of the increasing number of panel thefts.
Senior legal adviser Yaadhna Surajbally said: “It appears to be increasing drastically as the demand for solar has now increased significantly.”
She said they were not aware of how many homes and businesses had invested in this technology, but homeowners were required to register their systems (where applicable) with their respective municipalities.
Surajbally said the number of panels on a home depended on the size of the roof and the home owner’s requirements for essential loads.
While security companies say many of the thefts are carried out in broad daylight, ARTsolar said it was very difficult to remove a panel because special tools and equipment were required to get it off the mounting structure.
“Failure to use the necessary tools and without the correct skills could lead to damage to the panel, affecting its functionality. Each panel weighs about 27kg, so to remove these from the roof would require a lot of manpower and time,” Surajbally said.
This week, a security company with more than 180 branches nationwide said the theft of solar panels was on the increase in Durban, Cape Town and Johannesburg.
Fidelity Services Group head of marketing and communications Charnel Hattingh said at this stage they were unable to say just how many of these thefts had taken place, but it was definitely on the rise.
She said over the last few weeks they had received reports from their customers that their solar panels had been stolen while they were at work. Businesses had been targeted at night when their premises were empty.
“Just like there is a supply and demand for cable theft and copper, the same now goes for solar panels. If there is someone who is going to want it, they are going to buy it, so that’s now on the increase.”
She said that given the size and weight of the panels, there had to be at least two or three people on the property involved in removing them and someone waiting with a getaway vehicle to transfer them to where they were wanted.
Hattingh called on the public to beef up their security to prevent solar panel theft.
Rudolf Britz, Momentum Insure’s chief actuary, said the company had seen nearly double the number of claims for theft of installed off-grid solutions over the past year.
“The cause of this relates to more off-grid solutions being present as people are more likely to install them, but also an increase in desirability for these items and hence the increase in theft of them.”
He said these items were in high demand.
“In addition, the mobile units are easy to move and so are exposed to higher theft rates. We have even seen damage to buildings and fixtures where parts of fixed installations were taken. It is definitely a new world for insurers and consumers.”
Incident manager at TSU International, in Johannesburg, advocate Herman Bosman said this trend was definitely on the rise and urged people to check on their home security against fire, theft and structural damage.
“There is a market for everything. People can pay between R100000 and R300000 for solar panels, and thieves know this as well,” he said.
Bosman said there were also various reasons why homeowners might not even be aware of burglaries.
“Maybe you took some medication before you went to bed. It could be storming and you cannot hear that people are on your roof.
“It also depends how far away your bedroom is from where the solar panels are installed. Many people also go the DIY route. You need to have it done by an accredited person or an electrician,” he said.
Bosman said solar panel installations were usually close to where geysers or water tanks were and usually away from where people slept.
SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said while solar panels theft may peak in some areas, it had not become a national issue.
THERE have been ructions and revelations aplenty at beleaguered power utility Eskom this week, leading to the prompt and unceremonious dumping of chief executive Andre de Ruyter during his notice period after his incendiary interview to eNCA.
Eskom chief financial officer Calib Cassim has been appointed as interim CEO but the government has yet to appoint the Minister of Electricity that President Cyril Ramaphosa announced during his recent State of the Nation address.
Instead, the nation seems to have settled into the new normal of load shedding that oscillates between Level 4 and Level 6.
It is easy to become despondent and give up hope. But many South Africans are refusing to do so, instead finding their own solutions to the crisis, like finding the funds to install solar power to literally empower themselves. The problem is that thieves and robbers have started stealing these solar panels.
It is a situation that is beyond ludicrous and deeply worrying. The state is effectively failing these new crime victims twice; first failing to deliver electricity, and then failing to protect them when they try to solve the problem themselves.
The obvious conclusion those victims will draw is that there is no point to the state, except as a further unwanted burden on the lives of honest citizens doing their best to survive – and thrive – in this South Africa of ours.
It is a damning indictment, but one that is hard to argue against, despite the hundreds of millions added to the police budget this week and the thousands of new officers under training.
The president and his Cabinet have to act, because if they do not, South Africans will do whatever they can to survive – and nobody wants to see this leading to extreme action.
None of us can afford that.