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Solar advice: Try to keep wildlife out!

Another reason to have an inspection at least once per year is to find out about possibly unwelcome visitors. But look carefully! Mice like to hide in cable ducts and chew the insulation off the coper wires.

Birds build their nests in nooks and crannies under the solar panels. Martens also like to bring up their hide away their broods where they will not be disturbed – underneath the solar panels. There are areas, where pests like these are making quite a lot of trouble for operators of solar installations. If such cases get out of hand, you will need to secure the installations using wire mesh or more sturdy sheet metal.

Crows are more intelligent than you might believe

In some case there were crows observed which threw nuts and fruits from high altitude on the modules in order to crack them. Therefore glass-glass-modules provide the best stability against this folk – from both sides of the panel.

No joke: In Brasil a frog climbed up the generator and caused a short circuit in power electronics. For gods sake it was a wind turbine, approx. 60 metres high, and no solar generator.

Leave the installing to the experts!

The installation of the components and equipment should under any circumstances be executed by trained technicians. These technicians and planners are familiar with meteorological and regional circumstances and often have already fitted similar systems and buildings. They now the animals and their habitats and have a lot of experiences with the protection means.

Very important: You can tell a good installation company – apart from their references – by the fact that beyond implementation and lightning protection, they also offer to take care of maintenance right from the start. This includes protection against unfriendly visitors, too. (HS)

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