The Dorset coastline boasts some of the longest average daily sunshine hours  in the whole of the UK and it’s no surprise that the take-up of solar panels has been very high in the region, with a solar installation map  showing that West Dorset has over 450 panels installations per 10,000 homes.

Across Dorset the investment in solar continues to gather pace, with plans announced for another massive solar farm close to Sherborne which will power more than 10,000 homes. The farm is 40 per cent bigger than the planned solar farm between Dorchester and the Piddle Valley which could power 6,000 homes. 

Across the county plans are afoot to reduce carbon footprint. Dorchester Council is setting up a £125,000 Climate Change fund. Dorset Council looks set to approve many new solar panel installation schemes including on schools like All Saints School in Weymouth. A drive across the region shows that householders in coastal places like Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch and Swanage and inland from Bridport to Blandford Forum and Shaftesbury have bought into the solar panel story.
Solar energy will 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 solar panel pigeon proofing service covers all of the Dorset area and into neighbouring counties. 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 (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 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.