With plans for at least 300 solar farms having been submitted, and at least another 600 expected this year even prior to the government’s recent emphasis on sustainable energy sources, there is an opportunity for construction firms to help realise these projects.
But the boom in the construction of solar farms that has taken place in recent years comes with a dark side that could make progress more difficult – rising incidences of theft and criminal damage. According to the police plant theft unit ‘Agriculture & Construction Equipment’ (ACE), October 2021 saw a peak in incidences of theft across the majority of machine types.
On any construction site, keeping good relations with your end client often hinges around keeping on time and on budget. Thefts and vandalism are a sure-fire way to not only hold up progress but also to incur unexpected costs.
With solar farms being constructed in rural areas, they are particularly vulnerable. Often with large quantities of cabling that is attractive to criminals, construction firms are looking to add perimeter security, CCTV and other measures to these sites to protect valuable assets.
We spoke to the CCTV Technical Managerat SafeSite Facilities about what they have learned about how to secure rural sites to keep solar farm construction on schedule.
One of the most important things on these sites is to ensure that detectors move when the field of activity moves. As the sites can be so large, if your security provider is out of synch with the programme of work, this can create opportunities for vandals and criminals. Following an initial site visit, your security contractor should keep in touch to ensure that the system is keeping pace with your changing requirements as the site develops.
Balancing visibility of a security system with the need to be sympathetic to an environment is another major consideration. Some sites will have been subject to local opposition, so having intrusive lighting or unattractive hoardings might further inflame a sensitive situation. This consideration needs to be balanced with maintaining an effective system, however, as experience has shown that a site that looks like it is professionally secured – for example, using one of our florescent CCTV towers with styling that echoes the police warnings – is far less likely to be considered an easy target.
An experienced provider will also ensure that you have a camera and lighting of sufficient quality to capture images that can be used as evidence in prosecutions, as well as in-built monitoring for raising alarms, or a PA system to communicate with the individuals on site that they are being watched. This type of approach, coupled with other preventative measures, can help to keep insurance premiums at an affordable rate as well as maximising the likelihood that, when the site staff return the following day, work can continue as expected and client relationships can be protected.
SafeSite Facilities has more advice on their website if you wanted to do further research before making a choice about how to go about securing your solar farm. Visit https://www.safesitefacilities.co.uk/knowledge-base/solar-farm-security-guide for the guide.