How to keep birds away from your solar panels?

​Your most reliable investment, Solar Panels, not only provide you smooth electricity for decades buy also keep your roof cool in summers.

There is someone who is not concerned about your investment, ROI, smooth electricity and all. The birds, they will simply make the nest in the cool place under the solar panel and lay eggs.
Moreover, their droppings contain uric acid which can erode the panel material that looks very unsightly, increasing your overall maintenance. Also, the dropping on the panel acts as a barrier and it blocks the sunlight falling on it. Hence reducing the overall efficiency of the solar power system.
I am sure, you never want to get ill while cleaning the solar panels. If by chance you touched the dropping and forget to wash hands. There are chances of getting infected as wild animals often carry pathogens that cause a variety of communicable diseases that can be easily transmitted to humans and cause disease in them.
The bird’s nest is made of mud, twigs, leaves, and straws can clog or block the drainage system of the roof leading to water stagnation. This can be a problem in the maintenance work and it can sometimes result in short-circuiting of the wires which can stop the working of the panels.
We should find some practical and friendly ways which keep birds away from your most priced possession, the solar panels.
The most practical ways are as follows:

Plastic predators

The birds are scared of Owls, Hawks or snakes. If you keep their plastic models near the panels, they will avoid flocking around it. Remember to change the position of the plastic predator periodically otherwise the birds will get used to it and will remain there.

Installing wire mesh

Another preferred option could be installing wire mesh by clipping it with the edges of the solar panels and the roof to cover the open space under the solar panels. Remember to install wire mesh of small openings otherwise, the birds may get trapped and can harm them.

​Keep water and food away from the solar panels

I am not saying that don’t offer them food or water in summers. But it should not be near your panels. It is better to keep the two businesses separate as mixing is harmful to both the panels and the birds. You can always put a pot of cool water for the birds in the park near your house. The clean roof always makes the maintenance easy for the panels. So, make sure to remove the food scraps from your roof on regular basis.

​Sprinkle baking soda

The birds do not like something sticking to their feet. The sprinkling of baking soda around the panels repel birds flocking around your panels.

Spikes

​You can stop the birds from spoiling panel and the area around it by installing the spikes. The translucent poly-carbonate blends camouflage the spikes and repels birds without harming them. They simply prevent large birds such as pigeons and crows from landing and roosting on the edges of the panels and the other surfaces. 

Conclusion

The solar panels are your investment and it should be maintained periodically to get the best possible return from it. Using above methods, you are actually reducing the maintenance cost and improving the efficiency of the system.

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