In need of Bird Removal from your Solar Panels? If you have solar panels installed on your home or business, you might have noticed birds or even squirrels going in and out of the area beneath the panels.
By a considerable margin, the San Francisco metropolitan area leads the nation when it comes to solar energy use. For every 100,000 homes, 6,031 of them have solar panels. But oftentimes, solar panels bring unnecessary birds.
While solar panels provide an energy-efficient alternative for your property, they also create a safe nesting place for birds and wildlife. Pigeons, especially, often build their nests in the shade of solar panels, protected from the sun, wind, rain, and predators.
How Pigeons Destroy Solar Panels
Pigeons are often the #1 culprit of solar panel damage from roosting and nesting. And because they’re social birds, there will usually be more than one.
Solar panels aren’t installed directly onto the roof but on top of the railing that sits on your roof. The cozy space between the panels and the roof offers the perfect place between the modules and the roof for pigeon nests; it provides a nice shady area and protects them from the weather and predators.
To make matters worse, the pigeons are pooping (a lot) on and underneath those solar panels, causing damage to your roof and panels. Their poop is acidic and corrosive, causing extensive damage over time.
Anything that obstructs the panel from facing the sun directly may affect its energy efficiency as well. If your pigeon problem is serious (i.e., too many birds and too many droppings) it can render a whole solar array inoperable. The accumulation of nesting materials and bird droppings may create hotspots leading to subsequent failures of cells within the panels.
Bird Control for Solar Panels San Francisco CA
Our bird removal team in San Francisco CA is professionally trained to handle bird control and the removal of pigeons and other pest birds from your solar panels. We will also evaluate your solar setup and install bird barriers to make sure they don’t return. Solar panels can be expensive, but offer long-term rewards, make sure you protect your investment with bird control.
Wildlife Damage to Solar Panels
Solar panels, as well as the wires and equipment that make them operate, are delicate. The roof beneath them can be also damaged by bird nests, potentially paving the way for problems with your panels in the future. If you have pigeons or other birds nesting underneath the panels, you are at risk for:
- Additional Pests – The presence of birds often draws other pests. Squirrels, chipmunks, and mice can also nest under solar panels, compounding the damage done by the birds.
- Damaged Wiring and Components – Between birds moving beneath the panels and the other pests that are attracted to the area, wires could be torn or chewed through. This can cause solar panels to break and, in some cases, fire.
- Roof Damage – Bird droppings and debris collects around bird nests, all of which can deteriorate roofing materials and require expensive cleanup.
- Disease from Bird droppings can also contain harmful pathogens which, when they are in large quantities from nests under solar panels, can become airborne and pollute your home, potentially causing illnesses.
How to Keep Birds Away from Solar Panels?
To prevent damage to your solar panels and roof, bird proofing should be professionally installed around solar panels. A couple of different products are available depending on your needs, and our San Francisco wildlife professionals can help. These include:
- Bird Deterrent Kits – These kits consist of weather-resistant mesh and metal clips. The clips are used to fix the mesh around the space between the solar panels and roof, sealing off the area underneath the panels. There is still space for airflow, but animals will not be able to get through the mesh to nest. Bird deterrent kits are able to withstand the elements for several years. We recommend a professional installer for these kits!
- Bird Spikes – Stainless steel spikes come in different heights and are affixed around solar panels to prevent birds from landing there. The spikes are also weather-resistant.
Both options are affordable, especially when considering the cost of repairing solar panels and roofing that have been damaged by birds.
Professional Bird Removal San Francisco, CA
If you are searching for ways to control bird’s nesting behavior around your solar panels, or keep pigeons away, our team of professional bird removal specialists in San Francisco can help control the birds around your home using several bird control methods designed specifically for home or commercial rooftop solar panels.
How to Install Bird Deterrent Barriers on Your Solar Panels
While bird deterrents can be installed by those with handyman skills, professional installation is recommended in order to protect sensitive solar panels. Our professional Wildlife Removal specialists can work with you to decide which bird deterrent method is right for your home, and provide professional, safe. effective installation. Call today 877-227-9453