Theft of solar panels is on the rise

As the state-owned unitality Eskom fails to satisfy energy demand, South Africa has seen an increase in alternative power sources, with rolling blackouts occurring daily due to regular outages at Eskom power units.

Why the solar panel theft is on the rise?

According to experts who spoke to the Mail & Guardian, load-shedding has generated a “massive” illegal market for solar panels. Forensic investigator Calvin Rafadi said solar panel theft is on the rise because the components are simple to remove.

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“Criminals unscrew the panels with a spanner, they usually wait for the targeted house owners to be out late at night before coming with the ladder and removing the panels to sell on the black market, similar to what happens in the copper cable industry,” said Rafadi.

Earlier this year, President Cyril Ramaphosa said rooftop solar panels on homes and businesses will be a major new source of energy generation in the country, and the government is now working on ways to unleash this potential large scale.

ALSO READ: WATCH: Rooftop solar panels spark fire in Cape Town [VIDEO]

Ramaphosa said that the national government is currently looking into ways to incentivize wider rooftop solar adoption, such as developing a pricing structure for feeding excess electricity back into the grid or providing tax benefits and other incentives to speed up the rollout.

What can be done?

Unfortunately, with loadshedding expected to be a permanent fixture in South Africa for the foreseeable future, solar theft is likely to persist.

ALSO READ: Rooftop solar panels spark fire at Vodacom building in Cape Town

However, according to various experts, there are proactive steps that solar owners can take to avoid being a victim of solar crime.
They can use smart technology which can detect if someone is on your roof or near panels.

ALSO READ: WATCH: Ramokgopa looking to secure solar panel supply [VIDEO]

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