Solar-powered streetlights will be installed on the streets of San Bernardino to prevent copper theft.

According to a city spokesman, more than 1,000 streetlights in San Bernardino have failed due to tampering by copper thieves.

Repairing street lights can be costly and time-consuming for the city, leaving many businesses in the dark.

“Sometimes it’s scary to leave the store. Leaving our store in the dark is even scarier,” said Mark Romero, owner of Barbers Club. “It’s so bad that we have to turn on the lights on our phones to make sure no one is hiding in the corners.”

Romero said his downtown San Bernardino business is in complete darkness due to broken streetlights in the area.

“It’s a constant battle. No matter what security measures we put in place on street lights, traffic signals or other copper wires, wire thieves are always one step ahead of us,” said Jeff Kraus of the city of San Bernardino. “When people call our service center about potholes or whatever – street lights are a constant problem for residents and we have a list.”

With the help of a $250,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, the city can now turn on the power, Kraus said.

“We opted for solar-powered street lights. This pays off in terms of electricity savings,” says Kraus.

About 80 streetlights will be powered by solar energy, and more are to follow after the city voted to allocate $1.5 million in addition to the grant to repair and replace the streetlights.

The replacement deliveries would take place over the next few months.