Electical solar power at the individual homeowner level is no longer the exclusive realm of the uber-ecowarrior or the Heinlein inspired individualist determined to live “off the grid.”
It’s mainstream now. The concrete proof of this has arrived. Solar Power Panel Rustlers!
Police departments in California — the biggest market for solar power, with more than 33,000 installations — are seeing a rash of such burglaries, though nobody compiles overall statistics.
Investigators do not believe the thieves are acting out of concern for their carbon footprints.
Filed under: Energy, solar power | Tagged: crime, Energy, solar energy |
Urbin Technology 
It has nothing to do with being “mainstream” and more to do with the high retail price of such panels – 200+ watt panels are over a thousand dollars. Thieves are realizing that everything has value – this week, a guy had all his Koi stolen out of his backyard pond. Estimated value? 10,000 dollars.
Point. It also points out that there is a resale market large enough to make it worth the time of the thieves. That’s true for the panels and the Koi too.
I call it the “Ebay Effect” – skels are realizing that there’s a market for just about anything. Case in point: The counterfeiting of batteries and razorblades.