Solar Panel Pigeon Proofing — Gerringong

Pigeons had been working the open gap beneath a rooftop solar array in Gerringong, leaving droppings across the pale corrugated metal roof. Keith fitted fine mesh around the accessible edges of the array, clipped to the panel frames and shaped to the roof profile, so the birds can no longer get underneath.

The challenge

The panels sit above a corrugated metal roof with an open gap along the lower and side edges — exactly the sheltered space pigeons use to roost. Droppings on the sheets either side of the array showed how long they had been working it. On a pale roof the mess is obvious, and droppings on the panel glass cost output. Any barrier had to follow the corrugations and the ridge capping without blocking water flow or fixing into the panels themselves.

What we did

Keith ran fine metal mesh around the accessible perimeter of the array, fastened to the panel edges with clips and shaped down to the corrugated profile so pigeons can't squeeze under. The mesh was carried neatly around the panel corners where the array meets the ridge capping, keeping the panel glass, roof fixings and drainage paths clear.

• Inspection of the solar array perimeter and roof profile
• Fine mesh shaped to the corrugated metal roof
• Mesh secured along the accessible panel edges with clips
• Panel corners and the adjoining ridge capping carefully enclosed
• Panel glass, roof fixings and drainage paths kept clear
• Roof-height work completed by Keith, who holds RIIWHS204E Work Safely at Heights

The outcome

The open edge of the array is now closed with a low-profile barrier that reads as part of the install rather than an addition. With the gap shut, pigeons can't return to roost beneath the panels, and the roof and panels stay cleaner between cleans.