Birds Love Solar Panels in Colts Neck, NJ

Challenge

Solar energy has been a trendy topic lately. It’s a great renewable energy source, can help lower your electric bill, and, as this homeowner in Colts Neck, NJ found out, the solar panels provide a perfect home for birds to nest!

As I began my inspection on the homeowner's roof I noticed a gap underneath the solar panel. Upon closer inspection, I found multiple birds nests underneath the solar panels. Nesting birds prefer sheltered areas and minimal disturbance from humans and solar panels provide the perfect habitat. One of the many issues of birds nesting under solar panels is bird droppings. Their droppings create hotspots and subsequent failures of cells within panels — not to mention bird droppings aren’t aesthetically pleasing either. Additionally, birds can cause severe damage to the wiring under the solar panels, causing system failures and costing homeowners thousands of dollars in repairs.

Solution

First, we carefully removed all of the empty bird's nest from underneath the panels and then sanitized the area. Next, we installed an exclusion barrier around the entire perimeter of the solar panels. The exclusion barrier is made up of a light metal material and has a plastic coating to prevent rust. It is designed specifically to keep all birds from getting under solar panels, which protects the roof, wiring, and equipment from damage. Now the homeowner will no longer have issues with pesky birds nesting underneath his solar panels.