Birds do not sit on solar panels — they nest in the gap underneath them. Which is why the treatment goes around the edge of the array, never on the panel face.
At a Glance
A rooftop array creates a long, sheltered cavity a few inches high, warm from the panels above and dry in the monsoon. From a pigeon's point of view it is close to ideal nesting habitat, and it did not exist before the array was installed.
The consequences are not cosmetic. Nesting material under an array traps heat and blocks airflow, droppings accumulate on the roof membrane, and wiring and connectors under the panels are exposed to both. On larger installations it also makes routine cleaning and inspection genuinely unpleasant work.
Never fix into the panel frame
Drilling or screwing into a module frame will void the panel warranty, and on some systems the mounting warranty too. Any treatment must clip or clamp to the frame, or fix to the roof and mounting structure instead.
The aim is simple: close the gap between the bottom edge of the panels and the roof surface, all the way round the array, so birds cannot get underneath. Two approaches are used, often together.
Neither touches the panel face, so generation is unaffected.
| Element | Measurement | Treatment |
|---|---|---|
| Array block A (12 m × 6 m) | 36 m perimeter | Edge mesh, clipped |
| Array block B (8 m × 6 m) | 28 m perimeter | Edge mesh, clipped |
| Adjacent parapet | 40 m | Spikes, single row |
| Gap height | 150 mm | Mesh height selection |
| Total | 64 m mesh + 40 m spikes |
Note that the array is quoted on 64 metres of edge, not on the number of panels — a common source of confusion when comparing quotes.
Do it when the array goes in
Bird-proofing a new array before commissioning costs a fraction of doing it after two seasons of nesting, when the cavity has to be cleaned out first and the roof membrane may already need attention.
Made in Delhi and supplied across India at factory rates.
Clip and clamp methods that do not penetrate module frames.
Send the array layout and we will return the edge length and mesh height needed.
Nothing is fitted to the panel face, so there is no shading and no generation loss.
Commercial and industrial arrays are quoted on total edge length.
If only one block has a problem, we will quote that block rather than the whole roof.
No. Nothing is fitted to the panel face — the treatment runs around the edge of the array, so there is no shading.
No, and they should not be. Anything on the panel face shades cells and risks damage. The problem is under the array, not on it.
Not if it is clipped or clamped. Drilling into the module frame will — which is why we never specify that.
By the perimeter of each array block in metres, plus the gap height, plus any adjacent parapet the birds approach from.
The cavity must be cleared and cleaned first. Sealing a nest in is both inhumane and a guaranteed smell problem.
It should not. The edge treatment is specified so water still runs off — damming it during monsoon would be worse than the birds.
At installation, before commissioning. It is far cheaper than retrofitting after the cavity has been colonised.
The block dimensions, the gap height under the panels and a photo of the edge. We will return the metres of mesh, the spike run and the price — free.