Solar PV and birds = low output...

[tanner0441]

HI

I have just 60W of solar, the last few days I have happily watched my panels outputting their rated output, or within a few ma, then I noticed the output had dropped by about half an amp. I have had birds use my panels as a perch before and had to clean up after them, but it never altered the output enough to read.  When I looked at them this time they had been bombed by a seagull...... I looked at the meter 4A, went on the roof of my shed and hosed them off, came back down 4.5 A

I never realised you could measure bird crap in amps before.

Brian.

[RP]

Probably make a great meter face.  10 turds full scale...

 

[DanG]

I had a great-uncle who liked to keep a neat yard - he got the new style small satellite dish and was pretty proud of it so when a mockingbird started using it as its territory perch he hated seeing it covered with graffiti...

I stopped it by providing a bird-deflector, an alternate 'taller' perch on the same spot that was irresistible. So, some rod fence posts or rebar wrapped with cloth & lightly wrapped with wire offset away a foot or so from the highest point of the panels will work well and for a long time....

[TomW]

Here, this year lately it is pollen. The stuff doesn't hose off too well, either.  Eventually it dries up and doesn't stick anymore and rain flushes it off.

I roughly figure I am down 2 or 3 amps across 850 watts of panels.

Tom

[hayfarmer]

second the motion on the pollen.looked at meter and sun intensity and went out side to see if someone stole a pv panel and saw the yellow stuff stealing my amps.took out my shot gun and killed ,em dead. (HOSE & H20)

[DamonHD]

I had to reposition my extra 'winter panels' and bird-feeder so that the birds did not feel the need to perch and donate on the panels.  Having them at a 70 degree slope also helped...  (The panels, not the feeders or the birds.)

Rgds

Damon