Thieves raid Chile solar farm and steal panels and copper cables
Updated
Updated · Bloomberg · May 7
Thieves raid Chile solar farm and steal panels and copper cables
11 articles · Updated · Bloomberg · May 7
At a solar farm in Chile's Atacama Desert, a gang in white coveralls used grinders and pickups without plates, tying up the lone security guard.
The intruders scaled an electric fence, breached the main gate, disabled cameras and typically had less than an hour before police arrived to remove dozens of panels.
The thefts reflect rising black-market demand for solar panels and copper wiring as Chile's fast-growing solar industry expands across the desert.
Can advanced surveillance technology win the war against gangs plundering Chile's remote solar farms?
Is Chile's celebrated green energy boom fueling a new global black market for international criminals?