[RE-wrenches] Stolen modules, what to do?

Dan Fink danbob88 at gmail.com
Wed May 18 21:11:06 PDT 2016


SolarPro magazine has a great article on the topic in 2012 by Rebekah Hren:
http://solarprofessional.com/articles/operations-maintenance/security-and-theft-prevention?v=disable_pagination

Just like the lock on your house front door, standard "tamper-resistant"
fasteners keep out only the casual thief, as almost every special driver
bit is  available on Amazon, and some even at Ace Hardware in multi-kits.

You can certainly go as far as expensive custom-key-bitted fasteners from
Bryce, but a minimally-talented thief with cordless angle grinder and/or
bandsaw will defeat just about anything in a remote area if there is nobody
around to observe and report it. Can't even grind off the nut or the bolt?
Just grind off a whole section of aluminum rail, some aluminum feet, and
load up all 4 modules in the back of the pickup truck with rack still
attached, cover with a blue tarp for the drive home. Aluminium cuts like
buttah. Remove the expensive "tamper-proof" fasteners later over a couple
beers.

A combination of the techniques in that article, tailored to your specific
location and installation regarding exclusion and monitoring, would be your
best bet in my opinion. And be sure to follow up with local law enforcement
as to the disposition of the stolen PV modules, such as if they show up at
the local pawn shop, or if a new resident is bragging about his new PV
"system."



Dan Fink
Adjunct Professor of Solar Energy Technology, Ecotech Institute
IREC Certified Instructor™ for:
~ PV Installation Professional
~ Small Wind Installer
Executive Director, Buckville Energy
NABCEP Registered Continuing Education Providers™
970.672.4342



On Wed, May 18, 2016 at 7:22 PM, Jeremy Rodriguez <allsolarjeremy at msn.com>
wrote:

> I was at a site today that had four out of the 50 modules removed recently
> by thieves. Can anyone recommend a good alternative to the Unirac hardware?
> I mean like tamperproof security hardware?
>  It has T-bolts with top clamps utilized. Of course it is a ground mount
> and is easily accessible.
>
> Jeremy Rodriguez
> Solar Installation And Design Expert
> All Solar, Inc.
> 1463 M St
> Penrose Colorado 81240
>
> Sent by Jeremy's iPhone. Sorry for typos and shorthand!
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