Contrary to what you’ve probably heard, putting mesh or spike bird guards around solar panels isn’t a good idea in most circumstances.
Why? Because debris such as leaves builds up around the top of the solar array, impacting the integrity of the roof and stopping the free flow of water down the roof.
The main offenders are pigeons, coo-cooing to their hearts’ content but much to our annoyance. In urban environments birds settle on buildings and where solar panels are installed, they will often shelter underneath. Installing bird guards, however, forces birds to sit on the panels and here they leave their droppings.
We have seen roof guards that deflect debris away from the solar array but these systems reduce ventilation under the panels. The knock-on effect is an increase in the temperature of the panels and associated reduction in power output.
Any sort of dirt on solar panels reduces power output but generally the UK weather washes this away. Buildings prone to birds congregating on roofs should consider washing away the droppings if it’s a particular problem.
SolarEdge optimises at the panel level
The solar PV systems we install using SolarEdge optimisers and inverters are optimised at the panel level so even if one or two solar panels are affected, the overall power output of the entire installation is only slightly reduced.
Where the SolarEdge optimisers aren’t installed, soiling or shading that reduces one panel’s performance by 10% say, can reduce power output by 10% for every panel in the string. Most domestic solar PV systems will have one or two strings, depending on their size.
Read more why SolarEdge has the “edge” our customers value.
We do install bird guards when requested, however are keen to make our customers aware of the disadvantages beforehand.