Many people around the world are opting for installing solar panels, both for industrial, residential, and commercial purposes. But, the need to protect them from the birds is also increasing. Solar panels on the roofs require special care and protection from the birds flying.
The birds, sparrows, and pigeons can significantly affect the performance of the solar panels. It gives a dirty outlook, but the mess that it creates is a lot difficult to handle. Solar panels installed on the roofs have a space between the panels and the roofs. It is because it provides enough ventilation for solar panels to work properly.
Birds find this gap as a safe place to lay their eggs and protect their babies. You may feel bad while cleaning all this and securing your panels from them. However, it is necessary for the proper functioning of your solar panels and keeping them clean. Let’s explore how these birds can damage your solar panels and what you can do about it.
The Effects Of Birds On Solar Panels
Different kinds of birds such as crow, sparrow, goldfinch, eagles, skylark, pigeons, and more fly around the roofs. They make their nests under the solar panels and lay eggs. Birds create a great mess under the solar panels. The bird droppings, feathers, eggs, and nesting materials create a mess that is difficult to clean.
The droppings on the surface of the panels give a bad outlook. Those droppings that are baked under the sun are hard to remove and reduce the effectiveness of the panels. The birds also chew electrical wiring causing damage to their function. This can cost your thousands of dollars unnecessarily. Also, the birds can be noisy on your roofs. Not only birds but other debris can also cause problems for your solar panels.
Set Up Mesh
You can keep birds away by installing mesh around it. The mesh is a strong net type material that is installed from the boundary of the solar panels to the roof, covering all sides. It seals the area under the solar panels that keep the birds from entering under them.
Mesh is a great option as it allows the air to pass below the panels. A cheap alternative is a bird net but with less resistance to the elements. Ensure the area is clean before installing a mesh, and don’t put the mesh on the solar panels.
Birds Spikes
Spikes may not be a humane choice to go for protecting your solar panels from birds. Spikes come in different sizes, for example, 1,3,5 or 8 inches long. These bird spikes scare the birds off and keep them from making nests near your solar panels.
Install Birds Of Prey
Installing scarecrows or birds of prey can also help. This is an old method of scaring birds away and protecting crops from them. You would have seen them in the fields. Crows, pigeons, and gulls are afraid of them. This prevents them from making their nests there.
There are scarecrows available online such as on Amazon. You can buy the best solar power systems and install them through solar installation experts.
Keep Your Area Clean
Birds usually look for places where they can find something to eat. Keep the areas around solar panels clean and ensure no food source around on which they can feed. Also, keep your trash in proper bins with lids on them.
Manage Your Habitat
Another way to keep your solar panels safe from birds is to control them. Manage your habitat, and reduce the grasslands around on which birds feed. These grasslands should be mowed regularly to prevent birds from coming near your solar panels.
Sheep are excellent grazers and can mow grass naturally. Moreover, to maintain biodiversity, you can put nest boxes or log piles. They can provide birds with the food they eat and worms. Thus, they would have less attention to your solar panels.
Wrap-Up
Birds can badly affect the performance of your solar panels. The worst part is that the breakage of wires can cost you lots of dollars. However, you can take some precautions on your own to protect your solar panels and give them a longer life. Let professionals do the work for you if you want to protect your solar panels from birds.
