They turn the sun's rays into usable electricity, with proponents calling it an environmentally friendly alternative that saves money on utilities.

But the growing number of solar panels being installed on roofs of government buildings, private businesses and homes are becoming a hot commodity in a way many say they didn't expect.

East Bay law enforcement has been seeing a number of solar panel thefts. One industry expert said it was an uncommon crime, but there was a brief spree of thefts six weeks ago throughout the Bay Area.

"The solar panel thing is pretty new," said Contra Costa County Sherriff's Office spokesman Jimmy Lee of the thefts. "We're seeing an increasing number of cases." In July, a sheriff's deputy found a Pittsburg man with solar panels stolen from the Pleasanton school district over the summer.

In that case, 39 two-foot-by-four-foot solar panels worth about $800 each were stolen from Hearst Elementary school in mid-June shortly after the end of the school year, said school district spokeswoman Myla Grasso.

She said it's unknown when the theft happened or if the panels were taken at different times. Employees learned of it after finding parts left on the ground.

"We were surprised," Grasso said. She said the district has had wire and other theft from school sites, but had not expected someone would get on the roof and steal the panels.

The district has the panels at nine schools, most installed last year. The panels that were stolen had only been there a few months. They district is taking steps to make them more secure.

Lee said the suspect, Michael Grande, 28, of Pittsburg, is believed to have been selling the stolen panels on craigslist.com. On July 1 a deputy driving on First Avenue in Pacheco happened to see a transaction at a storage facility and thought it was suspicious. Nineteen panels were confiscated, but Grande was not taken into custody. Lee said after learning the panels were stolen, authorities are seeking a possession of stolen property charge against Grande, who by then had been arrested and was in custody on a separate matter.

Sue Kateley, executive director of the California Solar Energy Industries Association, said about six weeks ago there was a spate of several thefts throughout the Bay Area, including San Jose, Santa Rosa and Sonoma.

"I wouldn't say it's pervasive, but it's something going on," she said.

Kateley said she believed the thieves knew how the panels worked because they would have to be sold for reuse, as there is no value in them as scrap.

She said someone who doesn't know how to properly disassemble it could permanently disable it. She also said in many cases the remaining panels were also rewired so that someone checking the performance would not notice the missing ones.

"You got to have skills," she said, adding that the industry is working on ways to make them more secure.

Kateley said there is a worldwide demand for panels, and some speculate an installer is using them on their jobs. Federal tax credits end at the end of 2008. She said, however, state rebates require serial numbers, and inspectors check to make sure the panels are new before they're approved to be connected. She said another possibility is that they're being used by marijuana growers.

Other thefts include St. Anselm's Episcopal Church in Lafayette, which was hit twice in the spring. Doug Merrill, a parishioner in charge of the project, said six of their 42 panels were taken at the end of April.

Some church members stayed at the church overnight, and they also left on flood lights. But the thieves were undeterred and returned in May to steal seven more panels.

"They have to go through some trouble," Merrill said of the thieves. He said the church's electrical bill has dropped from between $3,500 and $4,000 a year to about $300, but church officials never expected someone to steal them. "But it turns out this is a common problem."

Also in Lafayette a couple weeks ago, a resident on Deer Hill Road in Lafayette came home during the day to find three men on the roof of his house and five solar panels in a stolen U-Haul truck, said Lafayette Police Chief Michael Hubbard. The men ran, leaving the panels, truck and other items, and police have some leads.

"This was a new one for me," Hubbard said of such thefts.

Lee, of the sheriff's office, urged those who own such panels to document serial numbers, and for others to call police if they see something suspicious, such as people removing panels from a neighbor's house. He has heard of cases in Concord and Vallejo.

"It's simple mathematics," Lee said of the thefts. "There's money to be made."

Reach Eric Louie at 925-847-2123 or elouie@bayareanewsgroup.com.

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