This has probably been discussed before, but I can’t find anything on it.
How do you keep pigeons from nesting underneath your solar panels? I bought 12 mm × 24 mm wire mesh that I’m planning to cut into strips and paint black, which I’ll install under my roof behind the barge boards to keep birds out.
I could do the same for the solar panels, but I’m not sure of the best way to secure the mesh. I don’t want to drill holes into the sides of the panels to screw it in.
I’ve seen that you can get skirts with aluminium clamps online, but I’m not sure if they’re available in SA or what they would cost. They’re probably pricey, and they also restrict airflow underneath the panels, which I think is important.
I can tell you from experience that the old trick of putting a rubber snake up there to discourage the pigeons doesn’t work in the long term. I am guessing that after a couple of days they grok that the snake hasn’t moved and then conclude it is no threat to them.
There is some plastic mesh that you can get to keep leaves out of gutters. You have to buy rolls and cut it to size. This may work, but I don’t know how it will stand up to sunlight.
I had a persistent little bastard this year. I had to clear the nest daily for about a week and then it became less frequent. I was close to investing in something that uses pressurised air to propel some weighty matter his way when he was far enough from my panels. I ended up filling an 8kg HTH bucket with the remnants of his nests. It will work well for fire starters, so I should probaly thank him.
I have looked at wire mesh, but getting SS is out of my budget. I already bought the clips to fasten them. I might just go for some plastic mesh if it is cheap enough. Galvanized mesh is easily obtainable for relatively cheap, but will not gel well with aluminum.