A Murder of Solar Crows (Part 1)

Show Notes

Four thieves break into three solar projects during long holiday weekends, trying to steal the solar panels, copper wire, and other equipment. But each time they try, a brown tabby cat stops them with deadly consequences.

True Solar Takeaways

A line of crows on a tree limb or electrical wire is called "A murder of crows."
Kelptovoltaics is the term for the act of stealing solar equipment from a solar project.
Theft of solar modules, inverters, copper cabling, and other valuable equipment from solar installations is a real phenomenon, but there are no statistics about how common it is.
Sinovoltaics, a global solar quality assurance company, wrote an article about Kleptovoltaics in 2020, which discussed security methods for preventing solar projects from theft. The article cited several kleptovoltaic news reports from around the world, so it's probably more common than what's reported in city and national crime statistics.
Adding a 1 MW to 2 MW solar power project to land adjacent to vineyards is common in California.
Local mammals, reptiles, and insects are always present at solar projects. These include mice, rats, rabbits, squirrels, coyotes, foxes, deer, snakes, wasps, and even stray cats. Birds can also fly over projects and poop on the panels.
Some solar project owners consider wild animals as pests, as they can sometimes damage cables and modules. Other owners welcome animals and create holes in project fences to allow creatures to pass through to the surrounding habitat.

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