Solar panel bird proofing for Phoenix homes with pigeons

To a pigeon, a rooftop array is an ideal ledge: a flat, shaded pocket a few inches high, sheltered from hawks and from midday sun that pushes Phoenix roof surfaces past 150 F. Tile roofs make it even better, since the curves in the tile leave extra room under the rails. Rock pigeons breed through much of the year in the Valley's mild winters, so a single pair can raise several broods on the same roof, and the nest grows each round.

The trouble goes beyond noise. Nesting material traps water against the roof during monsoon storms, droppings are acidic and stain tile and coatings, and the buildup blocks the airflow that keeps panels from running hot. Debris also slides into valleys and roof drains. If you've already had a leak near the array, the nest may be part of the story. Our article on pigeons under solar panels explains why the problem tends to grow every season.

We use rolled wire mesh, galvanized or PVC-coated, cut to follow the array's outside edge. Stainless clips hook onto the lip of the panel frame, and the mesh bends down to meet the roof surface. Nothing is screwed or drilled into the modules, the racking or the roof. That matters, because drilling a panel frame can cause problems with its manufacturer coverage, and every new hole in a roof is one more place for water to get in.

On tile roofs, the bottom of the mesh is shaped to follow the tile profile so there are no gaps at the high points. On shingle and foam roofs it sits flatter. We trim around conduit and junction boxes so the solar company can still reach them, and we shape the mesh around roof drains so water drains normally without leaving a gap a bird could squeeze through. When the array has to come off later for roof work under the panels, the clips release and good mesh can go back on.

Guarding over an active nest just traps the problem inside. Before any mesh goes up, we remove nests, feathers and droppings from under every panel row we can reach, bag the waste and haul it away. Dry droppings release dust when disturbed, so our crews wear respirators and lightly wet the material before scraping. Then we rinse the roof surface under the array and look closely at the tile, shingles or coating that's been hidden from view.

That cleanup often turns up roof damage. Droppings eat into the coating on foam roofs, nest piles hold water against underlayment, and installers sometimes cracked tiles while setting mounts years ago. When we find something, we show you photos and price the fix separately. Small items, such as a few cracked tiles hiding under the array, are usually handled on the same visit, before the mesh closes the space off for good.