Solar panels and .... birds.

Forums › Home Workshop DIY › Solar panels and .... birds.

kiwifidget

"Cookie"
3425 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#319333 14-Apr-2025 17:21

Himself and I have returned home after a couple of weeks away.

The birds have had a field day and pooped on every one of our 42 panels. Some panels receiving multiple applications of poop.

There was nowhere near this much pooping before we went away.

Himself is convinced they (swallows/house martens mostly) are nesting between the panels and the roof.

Anyone else had similar issues and can offer any advice on how to keep them away??

No, we are not getting a cat.

Delete cookies?! Are you insane?!

mentalinc

3243 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#3364074 14-Apr-2025 19:22

SAM site?

CPU: AMD 5900x | RAM: GSKILL Trident Z Neo RGB F4-3600C16D-32GTZNC-32-GB | MB: Asus X570-E | GFX: EVGA FTW3 Ultra RTX 3080Ti| Monitor: LG 27GL850-B 2560x1440

Quic: https://account.quic.nz/refer/473833 R473833EQKIBX

kiwifidget

"Cookie"
3425 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#3364081 14-Apr-2025 19:50

mentalinc:

SAM site?

Do not tempt him!

Delete cookies?! Are you insane?!

timmmay

20591 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3364087 14-Apr-2025 20:27

My solar installer offers and recommends a solar panel cleaning and maintenance service (see bottom of page here), using purified water. I worked out that over the life of the solar panels it would cost about half as much as the solar system to have them clean the panels every year. In this case it might be worthwhile having someone inspect, clean, and de-bird the area.

eracode

Smpl Mnmlst
8875 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Subscriber

#3364090 14-Apr-2025 20:39

How about fine netting all around the perimeter between the panels and roof - like the netting used to cover fruit trees to protect against birds?

Edit: After posting my thought above, I asked ChatGPT. There were five different approaches mentioned in the response - and it started with:

“Birds roosting or nesting under solar panels is a common issue — especially pigeons. They love the shaded, protected space between the panels and your roof. Here’s how to effectively stop them:

1. Install Bird Mesh (most effective)

Special bird-proof mesh can be clipped or secured around the perimeter of your solar panels.
Prevents birds from getting underneath without damaging the panels.
Usually made from galvanised steel or stainless steel wire.

Tip: Hire a professional installer to avoid voiding your panel warranty.”

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

eracode

Smpl Mnmlst
8875 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Subscriber

#3364093 14-Apr-2025 21:00

Googling “bird proofing solar panels” - restricting hits to within NZ, gives this.

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

eracode

Smpl Mnmlst
8875 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Subscriber

#3365152 18-Apr-2025 11:08

@kiwifidget Interested to know what you decided to do.

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

kiwifidget

"Cookie"
3425 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#3365264 18-Apr-2025 11:44

@eracode still investigating. Himself has read something about magnets, which sounds like snake oil to me, but I think he might try it.

Delete cookies?! Are you insane?!

Sharesies

Trade NZ and US shares and funds with Sharesies (affiliate link).

Bung

6501 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

#3365495 19-Apr-2025 09:31

kiwifidget:

@eracode still investigating. Himself has read something about magnets, which sounds like snake oil to me, but I think he might try it.

Apparently migratory birds are more sensitive to magnetic fields but a quick experiment in our backyard has shown that sparrows don't care if there are strong magnets in the dish of birdseed.

eracode

Smpl Mnmlst
8875 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Subscriber

#3365556 19-Apr-2025 10:51

Bung:

kiwifidget:

@eracode still investigating. Himself has read something about magnets, which sounds like snake oil to me, but I think he might try it.

Apparently migratory birds are more sensitive to magnetic fields but a quick experiment in our backyard has shown that sparrows don't care if there are strong magnets in the dish of birdseed.

I suspect the magnets would be best used for holding netting or mesh in place.

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

MadEngineer

4298 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#3365628 19-Apr-2025 15:31

You definitely do not want birds nesting under your solar panels. It’ll cause debris to build up resulting in rust and/or rain pooling and flowing up into a tiled roof.

You're not on Atlantis anymore, Duncan Idaho.