The Hidden Threat: How Squirrels and Birds Can Damage Your Solar Panels
Squirrels and birds can cause serious damage to solar panels by chewing wires, nesting, and leaving corrosive droppings that reduce efficiency and create fire risks. Installing critter guards, bird barriers, and scheduling regular maintenance helps protect your investment, ensuring long-lasting and optimal solar system performance.
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Solar installations are a good investment for homeowners and businesses wishing to save on energy costs and to promote sustainability. However, while these systems are usually sleek and sturdy, there is one big looming threat that affects the real efficiency of operation and service life: nuisance animals—two fruits of the earth in the form of squirrels and birds. You may consider these animals innocent; however, they spell trouble for solar panels if they are not managed and can sure be a big havoc to themselves. To understand how critters cause damage to solar panels and counter measures will help keep your solar investment intact.
Firstly, squirrels are known for their curiosity and agility. These traits allow them to climb onto your roof and get under or around your solar panels. Once under the solar panels, they go about chewing an assortment of materials: wires, insulation, and other vital components. Such activity leads to deterioration of your solar system's operations and fire hazards in case the wires remain exposed. Installing a critter guard for a solar panel can go a long way in keeping the squirrels away from these vulnerable parts. These guards are engineered to keep away squirrels and other rodents while not interfering with the solar system operation itself.
Another big problem that birds cause is for the solar panels. Birds frequently perch on solar panels and adjacent structures and leave droppings. The droppings can block sunlight and reduce efficiency. Bird droppings will become acidic over time and could corrode the surface of the panel, which is a costly repair. Sometimes birds nest in the gaps or wiring pathways, which might lead to electrical shorts or fire hazards. Setting up bird barriers for solar panels should be considered to protect solar panels from these hazards. Bird barriers come in all sorts of types: netting, spikes, and deterrent devices, all designed to keep birds either from landing or from nesting in and around your solar system.
Here are some practical points to consider regarding critter protection:
1. Install Critter Guards: A critter guard for solar panel is a preventive measure that acts as a physical barrier to deter and keep squirrels and rodents from accessing wiring and underside components. These guards are inexpensive and easy to install but are very effective in preventing critter-related damage.
2. Use Bird Barriers: Put up bird barriers for solar panels such as spikes, nets, or ultrasonic deterrents. The barrier will keep birds away from your panels and protect them from droppings and nests that impair efficiency and otherwise cause damage.
3. Maintenance and Inspection: Conduct regular inspections on your solar system for early signs of critter activities. Clean droppings or nests on the spot; however, repair any damage detected, as doing so prevents costly repairs and keeps the system running optimally.
4. Consider the Placement: Smart positioning of panels and installation of deterrents to discourage critters from nesting or visiting is important. Get help from a professional installer to create a critter-proof layout.
Protecting your solar panels from squirrels and birds with a critter guard for solar panels and bird barriers for solar panels ensures your system operates at peak efficiency and lasts longer. Taking proactive steps can save you money on repairs and keep your solar energy system running smoothly for years to come.
