RIVERSIDE (CNS) – The Board of Supervisors Tuesday approved a $1.84 million project to repair a solar power generation site operated by Riverside County officials just east of Jurupa Valley, where thieves ripped out wiring and stole components in photovoltaic cells.
In a 5-0 vote without comment, the board authorized the Department of Facilities Management to contract with Montreal, Canada-based Engie Services Inc. for the Crestmore Heights Solar Field Theft Repair Project.
The $1.84 million allocated for the work is a “not-to-exceed” amount, not all of which may be needed to complete the work, according to the Department of Facilities Management.
The solar field, located at 1500 Castellano Road, just northeast of the Pomona (60) Freeway, went into operation at the end of 2018, with a photovoltaic — or PV — system tied into the electrical grid, representing one of multiple solar fields that the board approved countywide.
According to officials, in early July of this year, a routine inspection of the site revealed 16 PV modules “had been damaged and copper wiring stolen … throughout the field.”
Thieves, who have not been identified, stripped components from the modules with the likely intent of trying to sell them to junk dealers or recyclers. Copper theft has been an ongoing criminal activity regionally for almost two decades, resulting in HVAC units at schools and other facilities being torn apart, municipal lighting systems being damaged and even manhole covers being removed from streets, solely for their copper content.
According to the Department of Facilities Management, the repair project will entail “demolition and replacement of all existing wiring and circuits where needed, replacement and installation of damaged ground-mounted photovoltaic modules (and) inspections and site commissioning.”
The duration of the project wasn’t specified.
“The Crestmore Heights Solar Repair Project will generate energy savings for county facilities by restoring the damaged solar panels to optimum efficiency,” according to a statement posted to the board’s agenda.
There was no indication that electrical service would be interrupted in the area during the work.
