Solar tech theft rising in Germany amid supply bottlenecks

Share

From pv magazine Germany

The theft of PV modules and other solar technology is increasing in Germany.

The Criminal Police Office of Saxony has already sounded the alarm. There were 27 such crimes in the state in the first half of 2021.

The year before there were 24. In the first six months of this year, however, the officials counted 34 cases. Damages from the first half of the year alone in Saxony surpassed €250,000.

In the past two weeks alone, there have been a number of reports, including the theft of 114 solar modules from a construction site in Arzberg, Germany. About €30,000 ($29,790) of solar tech was also stolen in Nauen, Brandenburg, for example.

The authorities said that the thieves are members of organized gangs that use vans to steal PV tech. Components are most frequently stolen from large commercial rooftops and ground-mounted systems, but thieves are increasingly targeting smaller residential systems, too.

This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.

Popular content

Waaree unveils 730 W dual-glass heterojunction solar module
07 October 2024 Waaree has showcased an n-type dual-glass photovoltaic panel with a power conversion efficiency of up to 23.5%.