Month: September 2021

Suddenly, pigeons, squirrels and other pests are nesting under solar panels on Long Island as never before. These critters are a nuisance, sometimes bringing disease, noise and can cause damage to wiring and the functioning of your PV system.

Only recently have “critters” moved to new territories due to Superstorm Sandy, new construction such as McMansions knocking out their former habitats, and climate change with its warmer winters impacting ecosystems overall. It’s warm and cozy in the gap between solar panels and the roof, creating an attractive nesting environment for critters. 

ACT SOON. It’s “critter” nesting season!! 

To prevent critters from setting up home under your panels, we offer Solar Critter Stop, a specialized product made for rooftop solar energy systems.

• High-grade wiring blocks debris, birds, rodents and small animals to better protect your solar array. 

• Utilizes black clips and black coated wire for a clean, attractive & classic look.

• Consists of wire gauge that is thick enough to hold up to animals, yet thin enough to promote airflow under your solar array for maximum production (specifically designed for this!)

Our Solar Critter Stop process is simple:

1. Call us at 516-695-1000 or e-mail us at info@builtwellsolar.com
2. Based on the perimeter length around your array, we will provide a written estimate.
3. Then we’ll schedule our professional services 

We will remove any debris and nests, and install Solar Critter Stop around the entire perimeter to create an effective barrier against squirrels, pigeons, and other critters.

While there, our experienced solar technicians will also check to see if your PV system has experienced any damage, and provide those details to our office, if necessary.  A follow-up proposal will then be provided to you for any needed repairs.

About Critters

SQUIRRELS. Squirrels have babies in Spring and Summer, so that’s when most nesting issues occur. And, they sometimes chew the wiring in solar energy systems because they are often coated with nut-based or vegetable-based oils they love. They can even chew straight through to expose the wiring, causing damage or even a shutdown of a PV system.

PIGEONS. Known as the rats of the sky, wild pigeons don’t damage wiring but their damp nests and debris can damage roof shingles. Also, pigeons can carry disease, leave unsanitary and unsightly droppings, and create a noise nuisance. 

About Us

Solar Critter Stop is a service company of Long Island’s original solar energy company, BUILT WELL SOLAR.  Celebrating our 20^th anniversary, since we specialize in designing and installing solar energy systems, who better to provide a quality solution and to also evaluate any critter damage and repair and restore your system to its former operational functioning? Leave critter removal and installation of wire mesh around your solar arrays to the experts, Built Well Solar. Not to some random laborers or home improvement contractors with little or no understanding of PV systems.

Consider this one amazing fact about the enormous potential of solar:  in a single hour, the amount of power from the sun that strikes the Earth is more than the entire world consumes in a year.  This makes solar energy, by far, the largest energy resource on the Earth.

While estimating this potential largely depends on what factors are taken into account, according to Sandia National Labs, globally we currently use only about .5% of this potential, or about 63,300,000 daily megawatt hours out of 401,850,000 potentially available. 

The following comparisons further underscore the tremendous potential of solar energy:

• One year’s worth of solar energy reaching the surface of the Earth would be twice the amount of all non-renewable resources, including fossil fuels and nuclear uranium.
• The amount of solar energy that hits the Earth every second is equivalent    

to 4 trillion 100-watt light bulbs.

• The solar energy that reaches one square mile in a year is equivalent to 4 million barrels of oil.