In case of intrusions, it will trigger a live video recording, a 120dB alarm, a warning message and a 2,000 lumen floodlight.
The products were showcased for the first time at a solar PV event in the UK, and Matthew Uttley, business development manager at DeterTech, tells PV Tech Premium that due to similar trends in terms of thefts in the UK and across Europe, the product’s application would not differ much across the continent. The company protects over 2.5GW of solar PV capacity across Europe and the UK.
“Crime trends will vary because they do from country to country,” says Uttley. “But in terms of solar, it is very similar as its predominantly cable theft and sometimes solar panel theft that was rife a few years ago.”
Theft issues across the UK and Europe are not an isolated case, with an estimated 5,000 “major” solar thefts occurring annually, of which 400 are in Germany, according to the company. Between January and August 2024, the UK has reported 73 offences against solar farms, of which 17 involved more than 20km of cable theft.
Kelly Barnes, senior intelligence analyst at DeterTech, adds: “Across Europe, we’re witnessing a surge in the construction of solar and battery storage facilities. That’s great news for the clean energy revolution but has also signalled boom time for organised criminal gangs. Pre-emptive security measures are needed to predict, deter and detect threats to keep sites safe and secure.”
Different solutions at different stages
Uttley highlights that, depending on the stage of development at a project, different security solutions will be deployed, as projects at the construction phase could require different management than those at the operations and maintenance (O&M) stage.
“During the construction phase, we tend to look after assets such as plant machinery that’s on-site, as well as some solar panel storage areas,” explains Uttley.
During the O&M stage of a project, meanwhile, Uttley says that the company’s forensic marking technology SmartWater is used for asset tracing, such as cabling and solar panels, along with overt solutions when dealing with prior issues on a given solar site.
“SmartWater, in itself, is a fantastic deterrent, because the SmartWater logo is in every police screening room in the UK. Organised criminals who have been arrested before will know that logo. It tends to keep people off. SmartWater has a 100% conviction rate. If you’re caught with SmartWater on you, you’ve categorically been at that site,” explains Uttley.
Uttley adds that, in addition to deterring thieves, having security solutions on a solar PV site can also serve additional security purposes.
“It’s worth highlighting that a lot of people come into these areas that are quite a high health and safety risk because of the electricity,” explains Uttley, adding: “As daft as that sounds, for insurance purposes as well for the owners of the solar farms, you have to have sufficient site security in place for that reason.”
