Raisi ng Security Awareness
Alow-level awareness of security will not last much longer, as emphasis is being placed on the necessary security measures required by renewable energy farms. “Issues such as theft and vandalism motivated by the lack of security are slowly gaining awareness,” Capula said.
Parallel to the market growth of renewable energy, awareness and the need to protect such installations are also growing, Martella said. “The demand and the value of investments are high, especially if compared with the various incentives for these kinds of installations. Therefore, they have to be protected. Since 2007, the total value of stolen PV panels, just in Italy, is more than $271 million.”
PV panels are hooked up in a series and if one panel is removed, then the power production capability of a whole chain of panels is destroyed, said Gregory Johnston, CTO of Jet Protect. “Solar farm racks are streamlined for quick and efficient installation. This also means that they can be removed fairly quickly and a thief can steal hundreds of panels in a night.”
Wind farms are less prone to theft compared to solar farms, but it is not unheard of. “Wind farms do not have to worry about people coming in and walking away with turbines,” Scifers said. “However, they still do not want people entering the site because turbines are at risk of being dismantled to salvage metal and copper for scrap metal.”
Theft and vandalism can damage earnings from green power sites. “Solar and wind farms are huge investments and investors are expecting a certain level of return on their investment,” Johnston said. “If panels are being stolen, power production is down and additional expenses will be needed to replace the panels. This is another reason why people are becoming more aware to these threats as it directly affects the financial plan for the project.”
Security should be implemented from the beginning of a project. “For a long time, the emphasis has been placed on getting the renewable system up and running that security is the last thing on their minds. We believe solar farms are racking up loses from theft on a daily basis and things are being stolen from the construction site as soon as the workers leave at night. Uninstalled panels worth thousands of dollars can easily be taken,” Scifers said. “To combat this issue, farms would often employ a contract security guard during off-hours to ensure the products meant to be installed will still be there in the morning. But from an economic standpoint, this may not be the best way to use resources compared to installing electronic security equipment.”
There are currently plans for solar farms in the Sahara Desert, where there is optimal sunlight 365 days a year. “These will be national assets and will thus be more protected because damage to such a large site would incur grave consequences. These sites have central points where if damaged — even if it is only a small part of the site — can shut down the whole farm,” Katz said. “Instead of PV panels, mirrors will be used and they are more risky because the core production is turbine operated, just like a regular power-plant. There will be organizations wanting to, and capable of, undermining the production ability of these sites. Also, in large power plants, a few stolen copper wires could cause the whole farm to lose its grounding and thus create massive technical as well as economical damage.”