News
Along with the rise in the Green and renewable energy industry and development of solar electricity photovoltaic systems a new era of theft is also on the rise.
According to the Garfield County Sheriff's Office thefts of solar panels have been on the increase for the past couple of years with increasing levels of use particularly in the natural gas industry around Rifle and Parachute.
In the past three months alone, six burglaries occurred at separate well pads in Western Garfield County. The loot? Solar panels and batteries, according to Tanny McGinnis, spokeswoman for the Garfield County Sheriff's Office.
“We have seen several instances of thefts of solar panels in the past few months,” McGinnis said.
It's a crime with no witnesses due to the secluded nature of most drilling rigs, McGinnis said, and it's relatively easy for thieves to access the wells and remove the solar panels and associated batteries. Apparently, this type of crime has been going on for a while.
“This isn't something new,” McGinnis said. This has been going on for years, we are just seeing more of it now because people are figuring out what they can do with these panels.”
The solar panels are used on natural gas wells to fuel separator pumps, which is a piece of production equipment used in separating the natural gas from other fluids as it's extracted from the ground. They are also used to power the well's telemeters, which track data regarding the well's functions, such as production volumes, and transmits the information to field technicians.
McGinnis said that the thieves could use the stolen solar panels to power anything that can be converted and hooked up to the battery. She said that investigators have seen similar solar panels hooked up to truck campers for electricity.
“They are finding so many ways that people could, and are, using them for,” McGinnis said.
The rise of thefts is something that has energy companies very concerned.
“It's very worrisome,” said Williams spokeswoman Donna Gray. “It's been a financial loss for the company.”
Solar panel thefts have become more common in recent years as the renewable energy industry has grown.
In Aug. 2009, 22 solar panels were stolen from several of William's well pads near Parachute. Later that year, in a separate case in Carbondale, thieves got away with 30 panels from the roof of the town's Recreation Center on Memorial Day 2009.
The panels in the Carbondale case were later discovered by Aspen Police strapped to a flatbed truck parked outside of an Aspen residence. No arrests were ever made due to insufficient evidence for an arrest warrant in the case.
However, companies are now doing more to catch those involved in the thefts, and to prevent future thefts from occurring.
“We have taken steps,” Gray said of Williams Production, however Gray would not go into specifics on what measures the company has taken.
Other companies who have experienced similar thefts have turned to a Denver-based security company named Rigeye, which makes video surveillance systems specifically for drilling rigs.
Rigeye's Vice President of Operations Craig Lean said that the company got into the business of equipping drilling rigs with cameras a few years ago after one industry company requested it.
“We took the idea and ran with it,” Lean said.
Now, Rigeye is equipping some drilling rigs, including Marathon Oil in Western Colorado, with video surveillance across the country in places like Texas, Oklahoma, Minnesota, and Colorado, to name a few.
Lean said that thefts like these of the solar panels on rigs in western Garfield County has created a specialized market in the security industry.
“It's kind of spurred business a little bit,” Lean said.
Garfield County Sheriff's Office and Garfield County Crime Stoppers are looking for information regarding six incidents that occurred since mid May along County Road 215, and other areas west of Rifle.
“In our community, we don't leave it up to law enforcement, each of us needs to report what we see if it's suspicious,” McGinnis said.
Anyone with information regarding these types of thefts can contact Garfield County Crime Stoppers at (970) 945-0101 or by visiting www.garcocrimestoppers.com and click on “Report a Tip”.
According to the Garfield County Sheriff's Office thefts of solar panels have been on the increase for the past couple of years with increasing levels of use particularly in the natural gas industry around Rifle and Parachute.
In the past three months alone, six burglaries occurred at separate well pads in Western Garfield County. The loot? Solar panels and batteries, according to Tanny McGinnis, spokeswoman for the Garfield County Sheriff's Office.
“We have seen several instances of thefts of solar panels in the past few months,” McGinnis said.
It's a crime with no witnesses due to the secluded nature of most drilling rigs, McGinnis said, and it's relatively easy for thieves to access the wells and remove the solar panels and associated batteries. Apparently, this type of crime has been going on for a while.
“This isn't something new,” McGinnis said. This has been going on for years, we are just seeing more of it now because people are figuring out what they can do with these panels.”
The solar panels are used on natural gas wells to fuel separator pumps, which is a piece of production equipment used in separating the natural gas from other fluids as it's extracted from the ground. They are also used to power the well's telemeters, which track data regarding the well's functions, such as production volumes, and transmits the information to field technicians.
McGinnis said that the thieves could use the stolen solar panels to power anything that can be converted and hooked up to the battery. She said that investigators have seen similar solar panels hooked up to truck campers for electricity.
“They are finding so many ways that people could, and are, using them for,” McGinnis said.
The rise of thefts is something that has energy companies very concerned.
“It's very worrisome,” said Williams spokeswoman Donna Gray. “It's been a financial loss for the company.”
Solar panel thefts have become more common in recent years as the renewable energy industry has grown.
In Aug. 2009, 22 solar panels were stolen from several of William's well pads near Parachute. Later that year, in a separate case in Carbondale, thieves got away with 30 panels from the roof of the town's Recreation Center on Memorial Day 2009.
The panels in the Carbondale case were later discovered by Aspen Police strapped to a flatbed truck parked outside of an Aspen residence. No arrests were ever made due to insufficient evidence for an arrest warrant in the case.
However, companies are now doing more to catch those involved in the thefts, and to prevent future thefts from occurring.
“We have taken steps,” Gray said of Williams Production, however Gray would not go into specifics on what measures the company has taken.
Other companies who have experienced similar thefts have turned to a Denver-based security company named Rigeye, which makes video surveillance systems specifically for drilling rigs.
Rigeye's Vice President of Operations Craig Lean said that the company got into the business of equipping drilling rigs with cameras a few years ago after one industry company requested it.
“We took the idea and ran with it,” Lean said.
Now, Rigeye is equipping some drilling rigs, including Marathon Oil in Western Colorado, with video surveillance across the country in places like Texas, Oklahoma, Minnesota, and Colorado, to name a few.
Lean said that thefts like these of the solar panels on rigs in western Garfield County has created a specialized market in the security industry.
“It's kind of spurred business a little bit,” Lean said.
Garfield County Sheriff's Office and Garfield County Crime Stoppers are looking for information regarding six incidents that occurred since mid May along County Road 215, and other areas west of Rifle.
“In our community, we don't leave it up to law enforcement, each of us needs to report what we see if it's suspicious,” McGinnis said.
Anyone with information regarding these types of thefts can contact Garfield County Crime Stoppers at (970) 945-0101 or by visiting www.garcocrimestoppers.com and click on “Report a Tip”.
