Missing cables, broken connections, damaged equipment: an increasingly common scenario in solar plants across Brazil.
In addition to the technical and operational challenges involved in solar generation, there is a growing — but silent — concern about the property safety of these structures.
As the country accelerates the expansion of distributed generation quality large solar plants, cases of theft and robbery in plants have been increasing, generating millions in losses, delays in works and even interruptions in energy generation.
The criminals' target is clear: equipment with a high resale value, easy access and, often, poorly protected.
The vulnerability is even greater in plants under construction, when safety systems are not yet fully implemented.
For organized criminals, it only takes a few minutes to extract cables, busbars and connections — enough to compromise the entire plant operation.
According to engineer Jefferson Gonçalves, from CS Consulting, a company of the Group Canal Solar, criminals have been targeting precisely the most exposed points of a plant: high-value and easily removed equipment.
“What attracts thieves is the combination of value and easy access. Anything that is visible, outside of junction boxes or grounding boxes, tends to be a priority target,” he explains.
What is usually stolen?
According to the engineer, the main targets of robbers are usually:
Copper and aluminum cables: both in the DC (direct current) and AC (alternating current) parts, due to their ease of extraction and resale value.
Copper busbars: used in grounding systems (SPDA) or installed in QGBTs and SKIDs.
Cageways: with accessible connections for extracting meshes, bare cables or copper stakes.
Inverter connections: When inverters are exposed, burglars can easily access the connection points and cut the cables.
“Power transformers or larger equipment are less targeted, as they require heavy logistics. The focus is on what can be loaded and sold quickly,” warns Gonçalves.
How to protect the plant against theft?
Despite the financial impact that safety can generate at the beginning of the project, Gonçalves emphasizes that prevention costs are much more advantageous than losses with replacement of materials and interruptions in generation.
According to the CS Consultoria engineer, some recommended actions to protect the plant against thieves are:
Cable burial: complying with technical standards, such as NBR 16690, and deg specific trenches for storing cables makes visual and physical access difficult. “If the burglar cannot see the cables, he will be less attracted to the target,” he says.
Padlock on junction box covers: Some junction boxes, which are usually purchased from specialized manufacturers, contain devices on their access covers for inserting padlocks. This item helps to minimize the action of criminals, unlike junction boxes made of masonry.
Inverter shelters: Installing inverters in structures with a gate and lock, in addition to improving protection against the elements, adds a physical layer of security.
CCTV Monitoring: systems with thermal cameras, presence sensors and audible alarms are highly effective. Models such as Speed Dome enable real-time detection and triggering of automatic alerts for operators and security teams.
24-hour surveillance presence: Plants without constant surveillance become more vulnerable targets. Physical presence — even in alternating shifts — inhibits criminal activity.
Integration with SCADA system: The use of SCADA as a security tool is a growing trend. “The system can detect faults in milliseconds, such as phase loss, cable cuts or inverter failures, and generate alarms in real time,” explains Gonçalves. This enables an immediate response and even cross-referencing of data with CCTV images.
Plants under construction are even more vulnerable
According to the engineer, plants that are not yet operating or that are in the installation phase are even easier targets.
“With the equipment already on site, but without active monitoring or generation, criminals have the freedom to act with less risk of being detected,” warns the professional.
For the engineer, prevention is always the best investment. “Adopting good practices from the design stage, such as correct burial, monitoring and physical protection measures, drastically reduces the risk of losses and ensures greater operational reliability,” he concludes.
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