Like all local government, Barnsley Council has been charged with reducing its own carbon footprint. Among many projects is a new pilot development of 16 new energy efficient homes at Bolton-upon-Dearne between Barnsley and Doncaster comprising ten two-bedroom and six three-bedroom homes. Key to their construction will be the inclusion of carbon reduction technology such as air source heat systems and rooftop solar panels.

These energy efficient homes will act as template for future housing schemes delivered by the council, whose community based Energise Barnsley  scheme has led to the installation of solar panels on over 350 new homes.

Across South Yorkshire there are many examples of companies and individuals buying into the solar panel storey. Perhaps one of the most high profile installations has been at Sheffield’s Meadowhall Shopping Centre .

Costing around £1 million and with 3400 panels it’s been billed as the biggest retail solar installation in the UK and is the size of 20 tennis courts.
The county’s residents have also been buying into the benefits of rooftop solar panel installation. Indeed a UK Solar Power County Rankings survey conducted by Green Business Watch concluded that South Yorkshire was in the top 10 of 78 UK counties for domestic generation of solar electricity.
Solar energy will without question play a vital role going forward in terms of reducing our carbon footprint. But with them comes a problem with birds nesting under solar panels.

Feral pigeons need cover over their heads when nesting, and solar panels provide them with the perfect combination of warmth, shelter and relative safety for their young.

Pigeons also nest all year round, having several broods per year, so their numbers can increase much more quickly than most other birds and they quickly become a pest.

As well as creating a great deal of noise, they also produce a huge amount of fouling. It’s estimated that one pigeon will produce up to 11kg of fouling per year  – that means a flock of just 20 birds can be churning out 220kg per year – that’s 480lb – or about half the weight of a grand piano!
But it’s not just the amount of mess and noise. Pigeon fouling is really very dangerous stuff .

It is a vector for some really nasty pathogens and bacteria that can cause very serious illness indeed in humans – even blindness and death – if accidentally breathed in dry, if it gets into cuts or is accidentally ingested. As such you need to get the pigeons off your property as quickly as you can, and clearance of fouling should only be attempted by someone who knows what they are doing and wearing the appropriate PPE.

Our Barnsley solar panel pigeon proofing service covers all of the Barnsley area and surrounding area including Mexborough, Worsbrough, Wombwell, Royston, Penistone and Wortley. Indeed our solar panel pigeon protection in South Yorkshire is available to all – we cover Doncaster, Wakefield, Rotherham and Sheffield and beyond too.
We use a very solid galvanised steel mesh which is far superior to roll mesh. The mesh comes in sheets, not rolls, with a thick gauge of wire that requires industrial cutters to cut it to size. As such it enables our technicians to shape the mesh not just to your panel configuration, but also to the rides of your roof tiles if they deem it necessary to stop birds getting back under solar panels.

The work involves an experienced two-man team with all the expertise, training and equipment in place to undertake work like this. The first part of the job is to get the birds out from under the solar panels. This can be straightforward or very difficult, but we do not remove the panels from the bars as that would invalidate your warranty with your solar panel company, as indeed would any drilling to fit the proofing. We have all the licences in place to be able to do this within the law.

The teams remove as much of the nesting materials under the panels as they can without risking the performance of the panels, before applying a professional strength biocide around where any nesting has been going on. This is done firstly to treat any fouling that has got onto the fittings, as pigeon guano is also high in uric acid and corrosive over time. It’s also to try and deal with the bird mites that will be in the nests. Bird mites are tiny little biting insects that feed on the blood of chicks in nests, but they commonly get inside properties and start feeding on human blood. They live in cavities, drive you mad, are difficult to get rid of and indeed are a very good reason to stop birds nesting under your solar panels per se.

The solar panel proofing mesh is fitted side-on to the edge of the panels giving a neat, effective finish. It is attached using UVA stable Polymer fittings with a long shelf life alongside some vertical tensioning of some of the strong prongs under the lips of the panels to give a very strong and secure finish. The use of metal fittings needs to be avoided as metal to metal corrodes , and there is no drilling involved. We carry out literally hundreds of solar panel proofing works a year and the process comes with a gilt edged 10 YEAR GUARANTEE.

We also offer a gutter cleaning service and solar panel cleaning service, plus we can fit pigeon spikes, anti-pigeon netting and chimney cowls if required, and we can usually quote you within 10 minutes over the phone if we can find your property on Google Maps – give us a call now on 0800 327 7293.