Why Do Pigeons Like Solar Panels?
You’ve probably seen it before – pigeons having a perfect time nesting underneath your solar panel. At first, it’s a few birds, so you brush it off, then suddenly, you have an entire flock of pigeons on your roof. While solar panels make an excellent nesting location for pigeons, it can leave you staring at huge losses. That’s why it’s important to utilize products such as those on https://www.flyawaybms.com/Products.aspx.
Here are two main reasons pigeons love nesting and roosting on solar panels.
Your rooftop offers a vantage point
If you ever observe pigeons in their natural habitats, you’d notice they love a vantage point. You’ll find them gathering and nesting on cliffs. Your rooftop is the urban equivalent of a clifftop.
A vantage point enables pigeons to scout for food, water, and predators. There’s a massive overlap between the best place for your solar panels and the ideal nesting grounds – high, difficult to access, and great views.
Much like pigeons seeking the perfect vantage point, homeowners are often in search of the ideal roofing solution. This quest for both functionality and aesthetics underscores the importance of partnering with experienced professionals like Vancouver roofers. With their expertise, they can assess the unique characteristics of your rooftop, ensuring it serves not only as a secure shelter but also as an optimal location for additional features like solar panels.
Solar panels offer safety and protection
Pigeons love nesting and roosting on cliffs because they keep them safe from the weather and predators. Roosting under solar panels offers the same benefits. The space beneath the solar panels provides a warm, shady place to build a nest while sheltering the pigeons from predators and the elements.
Pigeons vs. your solar panels
While a few passing pigeons flying by your house don’t pose a threat to your solar panels, hundreds of pigeons nesting under solar panels spell a disaster.
Acidic poop: Like most birds, pigeons’ excrement comprises urid acidic, which is highly corrosive. The acidic white droppings may corrode critical electrical components of your PV cells and extensively damage your panels. Large quantities of pigeon poop may cover the panel’s surface and lower its efficiency. But it gets worse. The higher temperatures cook the poop, causing panel damage and discoloration.
Physical damage: Pigeons love to peck on electronic equipment, and solar panels are no exception. They will pull the wires until they come loose and nip at the panel, causing extensive damage to your solar panel.
High-level pestilence: Once pigeons have built nests on your rooftop, they attract other pests, including rodents and squirrels. They chew and gnaw through electrical wiring and cause solar panels to short-circuit and even catch on fire.
3 ways to deter pigeons in your solar panel
You must take swift action to stop pigeons from your solar panels to avoid incurring huge losses. Here are the best ways to pigeon-proof your solar panels.
Install pigeon mesh
Pigeon mesh is a humane solution to deter pigeons and other birds from nesting on your solar panels. Solar panels pigeon proofing clipping the pigeon mesh to the edges of the solar panels and sealing off the space beneath them. Installing the mesh makes the space inaccessible to birds and other animals.
Install plastic spikes on the roof
Sometimes pigeons will still hang around your house even after sealing the space beneath your solar panels. Installing bird spikes provides an additional security layer for your solar panel. The spikes are blunt and highly flexible, which prevents the birds from perching on your roof by interfering with their foothold.
Use scarecrows
Birds are acutely aware of their predators and won’t go anywhere near them. Placing plastic birds of prey on your solar panel can safeguard your solar panels. Preferably, you should use an owl with a swiveling head. The head turns with the wind and scares the birds away. You may also consider using automated birds of prey. Birds can indeed pose problems, which is precisely why the Rapid Birdproofing Company exists—to address and resolve such concerns effectively.
Protect your solar system
Nothing good can come from pigeons on your solar panels. There is a possibility that these birds will damage your solar panels and cause you to incur huge losses. It is possible to permanently solve the problem by installing pigeon mesh around the panels, plastic spikes on the roof, and using scarecrows.