- Coming up on this week's news, a major crime wave targeting copper EV cables is sweeping the country, an electrician is killed in mysterious circumstances at a water treatment plant, and an unholy row erupts over solar panels on a church roof. Welcome to "Electrical News Weekly" in association with Solar Trade Sales, your easy one-stop shop for all things solar. Whether you're listening in the van, on site, or down at the wholesale counter, I'm Joe Robinson, and I've been through the best of the electrical industry news to save you the trouble. And if you think you've spotted the two words that I've been challenged to slip into this week's show, comment with them below for the chance to win a prize. A major crime wave targeting EV cables is sweeping the country. The rapid charger provider InstaVolt reports that since November, 174 EV charging cables have been stolen from 27 sites. Experts say the rising cost of copper is to blame. The metal has been soaring in value again and is heading for 8,000 pounds or $10,000 a tonne. Ironically, the price is being driven by rising demand from the renewables industry. That high valuation is indirectly compromising the reliability of the charging networks say insiders. InstaVolt boss Delvin Lane says the thefts are extremely frustrating for its customers. He told "Autocar" magazine that despite the high valuation of copper, the thieves are often disappointed by the fact that the cable isn't a solid copper conductor. Instead, as any electrician could tell you, it's just length of thin wire. That's because if it was a solid metal, it wouldn't be flexible enough for connecting to EVs. Lane says it's a misconception that copper can bring real financial gain. A spokesman for rival Osprey told the press that the company was aware of targeted attacks at public charging sites in the Leeds, Newark, Rotherham, and Derby areas. It says it's working with the police and other operators to share CCTV. Meanwhile, telecoms giant Openreach thinks it has a solution to copper gangs. It's been using a special DNA marker on its cables that's invisible to thieves, but is easily transferable to hands and clothing. The spray contains unique information which forensic laboratories can link to crime scenes. Recently, the technology helped secure three convictions in Lincolnshire, including a 16-month prison sentence for attempted theft. The company reports that the DNA spray helped contribute to a cut in the number of incident last year by a crackerjack 30%. But Openreach's security team is urging electricians to remain vigilant as lighter evenings can lead to an increase in thefts. Another set of electrical rogues is targeting homeowners and their appliances. The men recently turned up at a house in Colchester, in Essex, in a van marked prominently with Electrical Solutions on the side. They persuaded the homeowner to let them test her appliances for safety. Two days later, the men returned to the property and informed the resident that the items, a TV, washing machine, and microwave, had been declared unsafe. The items were then collected, and it was said they would be returned later. The men never came back. Police are now appealing for witnesses. Anyone with any information or dash cam footage should contact Essex Police. Still on rogue watch, the outgoing president of Select, Scotland's largest construction trade body, has issued a stark warning about the rise of rogue tradespeople masquerading as qualified electricians to take advantage of the boom in renewables. Alistair Grant said there is mounting concern across the industry about the dangers of incorrectly installed technology, such as EV charge points and solar panels. He says Select members are reporting an alarming rise in shoddy and dangerous workmanship that needs to be urgently remedied by qualified and fully-trained electricians. Grant said a lot of the so-called Green Energy experts coming forward had no wider knowledge of electrical best practise or safety. He said the fitting of technology, like domestic EV charge points, battery storage, and solar panels, needs to be carried out by professional electricians, not people who've merely done a short course. He says some of his members describe the current market as like the Wild West out there. Rogue companies are knocking on doors and offering to instal renewable electrical equipment at knockdown prices. Grant said that one solar installation which he was called out to had direct current cabling running from the roof directly through a pile of children's toys in the loft and into a cupboard in the home. The potential for a disastrous fire was obvious to see."This is typical of the kind of things we are seeing," he said. It emphasises why consumers should always use a fully-trained and qualified electrician. And honestly, I don't think Wild West is a strong enough analogy based on that last example. Sounds like a metaphor involving a howitzer would be more appropriate for that disaster. In other news, health and safety officials have launched an investigation after an electrician was killed in mysterious circumstances at a water treatment plant in Tipperary in Ireland. 52-year-old Liam Donnelley was found dead while working on electrical circuits at the facility in Roscrea. A spokesman for Water Ireland said it was the liaising with the Health and Safety Authority and other officials following the death. He said it was with deep regret and sadness that the organisation confirms that a man working on behalf of its contractor has died following an incident. Donnelley was a father of two and had recently celebrated the birth of his first grandchild, Harry. The investigation continues, and our thoughts and condolences go out to his friends and family. Back here in England, and an unholy row has broken out over solar panels. The warden of a picturesque church in the Lake District wants to put photovoltaics on the roof. He says they need to save on energy bills in order to keep St. Anne's in Kendal open. The local planning authority for the National Park earlier refused planning permission for the installation of 28 solar panels on the roof of the Grade 2 listed building. It says that the church, which dates back to 1743, has a roof made of weathered local slate and is of high historic significance. The Park Authority has argued that solar panels would be an inappropriate modern edition that would fail to conserve the appearance of the Lake District as a World Heritage site. But the church wardens say the solar panels won't be visible from the main road. They also point out that the PV installation would save over 2000 pounds a year on their uncomfortably high heating and lighting bills. Church warden, Dr. John Hiley, said that the church had seen a threefold increase in its electricity bills and had to pass these costs onto people hiring the church. The Church of England has now given its backing to St. Anne's, and an appeal has been lodged with the Planning Inspectorate, an agency of the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. In product news, Wieland is now shipping its podis V2. It's a special energy distribution system that's designed to make it easy to set up EV charging infrastructure in a multi-story or underground car park. It's based on a busbar circuit, which can be tapped into at any point. Gordon always elbows himself to the front when it comes to EV charging kit, so it's no wonder he was first to get his mitts on samples of the gear. He's made a special video on how the tech works. I'll pop the link to that in the show notes. He and Gary also got to do an instal of new outdoor speakers at a project in sunny Italy. They used kit from US brand Episode Radiance. The British duo had to figure out how to wire up the American Tech in an Italian home. You can see how they got on in a special video. Again, it's in the show notes. And if you want to see more new and exciting kit, the place to go is the InstallerSHOW in June. Big brands at the event include myenergi, CTEK, NICEIC, Makita, MCS, and Milwaukee. New for 2024 is the Get Connected theatre. This is dedicated to the electrification of heat and the integration of smart tech in buildings. There'll be experts speakers from Heat Pump Ready, NAPIT, and the MCS, among others. The eFIXX team will be there too, so if you see us come and say hello. It takes place at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham on the 25th, 26th, and 27th of June. Before we go, a reminder that the eFIXX Awards are now open for entries. Categories include EV Installer of the Year, Smart Home Installer of the Year, Renewables Installer of the year, and Wholesaler of the Year. So make 2024 the year you get the recognition you deserve. You can check out the full list of categories on the website, which I've popped in the show notes. And finally, a reminder that we're in the market for your stories, your projects, and your recommendations as we'd like to share them with the wider eFIXX community. In the month of June, we're focused on emergency lighting, power tools, and training, so send us pictures of your vans or instals or let us know if you've come across any new kit that's making your job easier. Now, just before we get to your favourite bit of the show where I reveal last week's challenge words and winners, we want to thank our premium partners. We couldn't make the news without you. First up, they're the people who've created the Swiss Army knife of solar inverters along with all-weather batteries, very much the Boy Scouts of the solar industry, it's Sunsynk. Up next, for all your circuit protection needs, they're like having an Italian star striker in your Premiership team, it's Lewden Palazzoli. And welcome to a brand new sponsor. If you want to pump up the gem and join the home heating revolution, then it's got to be the cutting edge heat pumps from Daikin. Now if you want to get smart, but don't know where to start, relax. Whether you need whole home entertainment, commercial grade infrastructure, or anything in between, Snap One offers countless solutions for connected homes and businesses. 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With an incredible range of equipment from EV charge points through industrial sockets and switches to kit for explosive areas, plus they supplied gear for a Campari factory, so they'll always have a place in my heart, it's Scame. Big thanks to you all. We really appreciate your ongoing support for the news. If you think you know the words that I've smuggled into this week's show, pop your guess into the comments. We'll take all the correct guesses and select one at random to be the winner of an eFIXX goodie bag prize. Answers submitted after about lunchtime on the Thursday after release will not be entered into the draw. Now let's reveal the winners of last week's challenge word competition. The words were flotsam and nebulous, and loads of people got it right this time, but the first person to pop out of the hat was mikeedwards7173. Well done to you. Mike. Click the link in the show notes to claim your prize. Thanks for listening to this episode of "Electrical News Weekly" in association with Solar Trade Sales, your easy one-stop shop for all things solar. Make sure you subscribe to receive the next update. Thanks for listening, and until next time, have a great week. Stay safe out there. And remember, there's no such thing as a torque-calibrated arm.