Solar Panels Being Stolen-It's The Crime of The Future!

In California in the last 6 months, police have noticed a rash of rooftop solar panel thefts. Thieves steal the panels in the middle of the night and resell them on places like Craigslist and eBay.

One woman who had her panels stolen, 16 to be exact in 3 separate burglaries. She claims she now keeps a shotgun and a 22 under her pillow.

These clowns who steal them sell them on Craigslist for $100 each. Police can pretend to be a buyer whether the sale takes place on Craigslist or eBay and do catch the idiotic thieves that way.

A Warning to those who think its cool to buy stolen panels on these sites-In California if you are found in possession of stolen merchandise you are subject to arrest and prosecution. Even if you didn't know you bought stolen goods it doesn't matter-you have to turn it in and take the loss unless you want to gamble your freedom or start up a criminal record for yourself.

Europeans have had more experience with living with solar panels than anyone else and are used to dealing with panel theft. They install alarms and make sure the panels are "hard to unscrew."

"Not far from Hoffman, in the town of Palm Desert, Jim and Shayna Powell were devastated after thieves took 19 of their solar panels in June, just when they needed air-conditioning the most, causing their electricity bill to shoot from $3 to $300.

"Of all the times of year to steal the panels," Jim Powell said in frustration."

California has the most thefts of panels because it has 33 thousand installations.

One business owner who actually owns a solar installation company got ripped off himself with thieves stealing more than $30K worth of panels. He said the panels were "expertly" dismantled leading him to believe that the culprit was an insider in the solar industry, perhaps an installer. He's suggesting that everyone who has solar panels install a video surveillance camera and security alarm. Said the business owner "it's the crime of the future."

This particular crime in California is doing pretty good in the present too!