Wineries falling victim to solar panel thieves
November 27, 2009
Napa Valley Register
Solar energy is hot. Not just with wineries attempting to lessen their carbon footprints â€" but also with thieves.
Numerous Napa Valley wineries have been victimized by thieves lurking in the night and stealing their solar arrays.
A single panel is worth about $1,000, measures two feet by three feet and weighs around 35 pounds.
Between June 2008 and late September 2009, Napa County saw 14 solar thefts and two attempted thefts. Of the 14 thefts, two were in the city of Napa and the rest were at wineries around the valley, Napa County Sheriff's Capt. Tracey Stuart.
More than 400 panels, worth about $400,000, have been stolen.
Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, took a step toward slowing the thefts by including provisions against solar thefts in the Solar Technology Roadmap Act. His additions will require the Secretary of Energy to create a plan to protect against solar panel thefts and create equipment serial number registry that will be easily accessible.
ZD Wines on the Silverado Trail has been a victim of a solar panel theft twice. “This won't happen again,” Brett de Leuze, president ZD Wines said.
He said the winery now has a permanent solar installation. And every array has a “Property of ZD Wines” sticker on it, which he said does not easily come off.
ZD Wines considers itself to be on the leading edge of protecting solar panels after having them stolen twice. “If someone tries to resell the panels ... it is blatantly clear it is the property of someone else. This should make it harder to pawn off,” de Leuze said. “It is our responsibility to take care of our property. We felt a little stupid the second time.
“There are lot of panels out there. We never expected this. We were stunned. It was not in our consciousness to think people would steal them,” de Leuze said.
Honig Vineyard and Winery also had its solar panels stolen multiple times in the past year and a half. The last time, three culprits were caught in the act by Napa County Sheriff's deputies.
Honig described the solar thefts as an epidemic in the Napa Valley. But he said he believes more people are starting to be proactive in protecting their investments.
Honig gives a thumbs up to Thompson's provision for creating a registry because there is not national data base for law enforcement. “If our arrays were some stolen and recovered in Oklahoma, there is no way to know they are from Napa Valley.
“What Mike (Thompson) is trying to do is proactive. His initiative is trying to get in front of the problem,” Honig said. “It is frustrating. We are doing something good to benefit society in the long run. I never thought people would come onto the property and steal solar panels.”
Jody Harris of Harris Ranch Napa Valley applauds anything that will help cut down on solar array thefts. His winery, located on a one-lane road, had 30 panels stolen in September.
After the theft, Harris described it “as a pain to get the system back up.” He has since had security bolts installed on the system that sits on the ground.
“We were insured, so we covered. It's not like they came into the house and stole something that was sentimental,” Harris added.
He said the theft was a “tremendous learning experience. It's a sign of the times. We lock the doors a lot more often now.” Neighbors now watch what is going on around them.
To protect themselves from future thefts, the solar set up is connected to an alarm and video camera system have been tied into the home security system, which has also been updated, according to Harris. “It may seem a bit extreme.” But he said it is necessary to protect their investment.
“I've lived with an alarm system, but have never had to rely on it,” Harris said.
Dan Sullivan, owner and founder of Sunlock Solar Security Systems, in Yountville, said he has been doing a brisk business. “Business is booming unfortunately.”
Sullivan can install a soft wire cable with a low voltage current running through it. If thieves try to cut the wire or don't see it and tear it while trying to remove a solar panel and tear it, an alarm goes off that is linked to a central dispatch.
Sunlock Solar Security installs a hard wired system that Sullivan said is best installed at the same time as the arrays.
“It's a simple design,” Sullivan said. “No system is 100 percent. But, I think ours gives the greatest amount of lead time to get authorities to the scene.”
He said an alarm set up does not sell itself. “It can be a hard sell to a winery that has not be hit yet,” Sullivan said. Depending on the size of the solar panel system the cost can range from $5,000 to $25,000.
Julie Blunden, vice president of public policy and corporate communications, at solar panel manufacturer Sunpower, said when systems are being installed, the goal should be to try and make it as difficult as possible so that the arrays can't be quickly and easily dismantled.
Something as simple as a chain link fence around the array system can slow down thieves.
“When we talk to a client when designing a system, we address the benefit of installing on a roof as opposed to the ground,” Blunden said. “Security is one of the things we consider when talking with a customer interested in installing a system. There is increasing demand for security. It is something that should be looked at.”
Solar energy is hot. Not just with wineries attempting to lessen their carbon footprints â€" but also with thieves.
Numerous Napa Valley wineries have been victimized by thieves lurking in the night and stealing their solar arrays.
A single panel is worth about $1,000, measures two feet by three feet and weighs around 35 pounds.
Between June 2008 and late September 2009, Napa County saw 14 solar thefts and two attempted thefts. Of the 14 thefts, two were in the city of Napa and the rest were at wineries around the valley, Napa County Sheriff's Capt. Tracey Stuart.
More than 400 panels, worth about $400,000, have been stolen.
Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, took a step toward slowing the thefts by including provisions against solar thefts in the Solar Technology Roadmap Act. His additions will require the Secretary of Energy to create a plan to protect against solar panel thefts and create equipment serial number registry that will be easily accessible.
ZD Wines on the Silverado Trail has been a victim of a solar panel theft twice. “This won't happen again,” Brett de Leuze, president ZD Wines said.
He said the winery now has a permanent solar installation. And every array has a “Property of ZD Wines” sticker on it, which he said does not easily come off.
ZD Wines considers itself to be on the leading edge of protecting solar panels after having them stolen twice. “If someone tries to resell the panels ... it is blatantly clear it is the property of someone else. This should make it harder to pawn off,” de Leuze said. “It is our responsibility to take care of our property. We felt a little stupid the second time.
“There are lot of panels out there. We never expected this. We were stunned. It was not in our consciousness to think people would steal them,” de Leuze said.
Honig Vineyard and Winery also had its solar panels stolen multiple times in the past year and a half. The last time, three culprits were caught in the act by Napa County Sheriff's deputies.
Honig described the solar thefts as an epidemic in the Napa Valley. But he said he believes more people are starting to be proactive in protecting their investments.
Honig gives a thumbs up to Thompson's provision for creating a registry because there is not national data base for law enforcement. “If our arrays were some stolen and recovered in Oklahoma, there is no way to know they are from Napa Valley.
“What Mike (Thompson) is trying to do is proactive. His initiative is trying to get in front of the problem,” Honig said. “It is frustrating. We are doing something good to benefit society in the long run. I never thought people would come onto the property and steal solar panels.”
Jody Harris of Harris Ranch Napa Valley applauds anything that will help cut down on solar array thefts. His winery, located on a one-lane road, had 30 panels stolen in September.
After the theft, Harris described it “as a pain to get the system back up.” He has since had security bolts installed on the system that sits on the ground.
“We were insured, so we covered. It's not like they came into the house and stole something that was sentimental,” Harris added.
He said the theft was a “tremendous learning experience. It's a sign of the times. We lock the doors a lot more often now.” Neighbors now watch what is going on around them.
To protect themselves from future thefts, the solar set up is connected to an alarm and video camera system have been tied into the home security system, which has also been updated, according to Harris. “It may seem a bit extreme.” But he said it is necessary to protect their investment.
“I've lived with an alarm system, but have never had to rely on it,” Harris said.
Dan Sullivan, owner and founder of Sunlock Solar Security Systems, in Yountville, said he has been doing a brisk business. “Business is booming unfortunately.”
Sullivan can install a soft wire cable with a low voltage current running through it. If thieves try to cut the wire or don't see it and tear it while trying to remove a solar panel and tear it, an alarm goes off that is linked to a central dispatch.
Sunlock Solar Security installs a hard wired system that Sullivan said is best installed at the same time as the arrays.
“It's a simple design,” Sullivan said. “No system is 100 percent. But, I think ours gives the greatest amount of lead time to get authorities to the scene.”
He said an alarm set up does not sell itself. “It can be a hard sell to a winery that has not be hit yet,” Sullivan said. Depending on the size of the solar panel system the cost can range from $5,000 to $25,000.
Julie Blunden, vice president of public policy and corporate communications, at solar panel manufacturer Sunpower, said when systems are being installed, the goal should be to try and make it as difficult as possible so that the arrays can't be quickly and easily dismantled.
Something as simple as a chain link fence around the array system can slow down thieves.
“When we talk to a client when designing a system, we address the benefit of installing on a roof as opposed to the ground,” Blunden said. “Security is one of the things we consider when talking with a customer interested in installing a system. There is increasing demand for security. It is something that should be looked at.”
Issues:Wine & Agriculture