Pigeon Proofing Your Solar Panels

Pigeon Proofing Your Solar Panels

With solar panels becoming increasingly popular in the UK, homeowners are falling foul to pigeons nesting behind their panels. Solar panels make the perfect nesting places for pigeons, offering protection from other animals and birds as well as providing warmth during the cold winter months. This can often be more of an issue within cities where there are a larger number of birds and pigeon-proofing systems.

Issues With Pigeons Behind Solar Panels

There are several issues with pigeons nesting behind your solar panels. Thankfully, there are also several things that can be done to reduce the likelihood that it'll happen to your panels.

  • Noise

You'll often hear that birds or pigeons that have nested under your solar panels before you see them. This will often be audible from inside your home and can lead to sleepless nights!

  • Waste

Pigeons can produce up to 15kg of waste every year, which if deposited on your solar panels can quickly cause solar panel efficiency to drop by up to 30%. If your panels are saving your £250 every year, that 30% reduction in efficiency will be costing you £75 every year!

  • Degradation

Due to the corrosive nature of pigeon waste, deposits of pigeon waste on your panels can speed up the degradation process which will reduce your savings from solar panels.

  • Safety

If the birds or pigeons chew or detach any of the cables from your system, this can cause your system to stop working. Also, if they fill up the underside of your panels with nest materials, this can cause a fire hazard.

Pigeon Proofing Systems

  • Bird mesh

Wire bird mesh is the most common solution which is also easy to retrofit to your solar panel system. Wire meshing the perimeter of your solar panels will stop pigeons from being able to get under and nest in your solar panels. This solution is cheap, doesn't impact the efficiency of your solar panels and won't damage your roof.

  • Pigeon spikes

Pigeon spikes, or anti-roosting spikes, can be attached to the perimeter or any areas of your solar panels that a bird may want to land or nest.

 

Both of the above are long-term solutions for protecting your solar panels against unwanted squatters. For either solution, use a professional to ensure that the correcting fitting to ensure damage isn't caused to your proof or solar panel system.