Bird Proofing - Why Solar Panel Protection Matters for our Feathered Friends

Guest Post by Hans de Grooth & Matthijs Roland Holst, BirdBlocker | 12/04/2024 4-Minute Read Now that we’re in the nesting season, bird deterrents for solar panels are very much in focus. Bird proofing protects a PV system, improves module performance and can extend the system’s lifetime. Importantly, it’s also a necessary safeguard for our wildlife and the survival of each new generation. We asked our partners at BirdBlocker to give us some insights into the legal and practical aspects of the nesting season and how to stop birds nesting under solar panels. There is no doubt that nesting birds have the potential to cause damage to a solar PV system. Chemicals from droppings can erode solar PV modules, cables and connectors; nesting materials can scuff backsheets and restrict ventilation, and birds scratching and pecking at connectors and cables can expose wiring, posing a risk of arcs that can lead to fire hazards. With the increasing number of rooftop solar installations, bird behaviour is beginning to change. To our feathered friends, a PV system may look like the perfect nesting site in the spring as it offers the opportunity of shelter. However, with temperatures in the summer reaching over 70⁰C under solar panels, nesting birds have little to no chance of producing viable eggs or chicks that will survive. The nesting season lasts from early spring to the end of summer (Natural England defines it as February to August). Thus, for those system and homeowners who chose not to have bird proofing installed, and who are now experiencing problems, it’s already too late to add the protection this year due to the laws in place to safeguard nesting sites. In most mainland European countries, the legal protection for nesting sites is seasonal - typically ranging from mid-March to mid-July. The United Kingdom has taken a thorough approach. The Wildlife and Countryside act of 1981 states that it is an offence to intentionally take, damage or destroys the nest of any wild bird. This includes interrupting the building process of a nest, taking or destroying eggs and scaring off, killing or trapping the adult birds or chicks. This makes it doubly important to make customers aware of the importance of bird proofing right at the start of a PV installation. In the UK, problems mainly arise from jackdaws and pigeons. In towns and cities, pigeons will nest whenever there is food available - so this can be all year around. Jackdaws build larger nests but lay eggs just once a year. Both species are canny and are able to exploit any nook and cranny that they can find. Pigeons need very little space to slip through, and jackdaws are strong, clever and tenacious in their efforts to create space. With these bird species in mind, BirdBlocker has been designed to be more effective than Aluminium mesh.  

• BirdBlocker Solar Panel Bird Protection is designed by solar experts who specialise in bird proofing, so any market updates are implemented into the system. It is compatible with all widely available solar panels, and is proven worldwide.

   

• The BirdBlocker system is quick and easy to install, is durable and comes with a ten- year product warranty.

Retrofitting Bird Nesting Prevention for PV Systems

If you are planning to fit bird proofing after the fact, and nests are already present, the regulations must be taken into account, so you must wait. Once nests are abandoned, it is important to remove all nesting material and wash the roofing with water. Adding cinnamon and chilli can help to remove any odours and potentially reduce the birds’ desire to return. [caption id="attachment_85888" align="alignright" width="195"] BB Box Clips[/caption]

A few tips from the BirdBlocker Team when Protecting Solar Panels from Birds

1. BirdBlocker can be supplied pre-clipped. This saves you time and money on the install.
2. The BirdBlocker tool makes it is easier to attach BirdBlocker protection
3. Instead of tinsnips, use shears with a rounded cutting edge. These make it easier to cut through the material and makes it more accurate.
4. Before you begin the installation, check the module datasheet. If you are using box-design frames, you may need to use BB-box clips for the short sides of the panels.

As a green industry, we have an even greater obligation to ensure that the technologies we install have little to no downsides for the welfare of wildlife. Fortunately, the UK has widely accepted solar panel bird proofing and both popularity and demand are rising. But until every single installation includes the appropriate protection, our wildlife remains at risk. And if the moral argument is not enough to convince you, all nesting birds, their eggs and nests are protected in law and the penalties for disturbing nesting birds can include unlimited fines and up to six months in prison. It’s our responsibility to make sure that every installation includes bird proofing – and that our customers understand its importance.

Useful Links

BirdBlocker YouTube channel: for instructions, tips and products to ensure compatibility and effectiveness for solar panel protection.