Your solar panels are built to withstand Colorado’s intense weather, but the space beneath them is an ideal nesting shelter for regional wildlife like pigeons, squirrels, raccoons, and mice. Without proper protection, these animals can cause thousands of dollars in damage by chewing through electrical wiring, blocking airflow, and creating severe fire hazards on your roof.
A solar critter guard is a durable, heavy-duty wire mesh barrier installed around the perimeter of your solar array. Without roof penetrations, it seals the gap between your panels and roof surface, permanently blocking animal access while maintaining essential under-module ventilation and full system performance.
At Solar Power Pros, our in-house team has added more than 1,500 professional critter guard installations on both new solar projects and existing solar arrays for homeowners and businesses across Colorado. We’ve seen interest increase over the past several years, now nearly 99% of our rooftop solar installations include them. Whether your system was installed by us or another provider, our perimeter protection stops wildlife damage before minor problems turn into costly repairs.
Unprotected solar panel arrays face severe electrical, physical, and structural damage from nesting wildlife. Understanding which critters are accessing your roof—whether it’s squirrels, pigeons, raccoons, mice, or native birds—helps identify the specific risks facing your investment. While heavier mammals like raccoons can physically dislodge components and smaller rodents like mice strip wiring insulation, two primary invaders cause the vast majority of residential solar damage in Colorado.
While many animals seek shelter beneath solar modules, squirrels under your solar panels cause the most destructive physical damage. Rodents must constantly chew to keep their teeth worn down, and solar arrays present exposed wiring and conduit that they quickly destroy.
Having pigeons under solar panels presents a major sanitation and production efficiency issue. Pigeons, like many birds, view the warm, elevated space between your roof and panels as a predator-safe nesting haven.
Since our founding in 2013, our Pros have seen a lot of solar panel damage caused by local wildlife. Here’s some real-life examples of stripped conduit, nesting debris, bare copper wire—and in some cases, cables completely chewed off. If you see signs like these, reach out for an inspection.
Installing solar panel bird guards—often referred to as critter guards—seals the access points beneath your modules to stop both bird nesting and rodent destruction in a single installation.
Professional bird guards utilize a heavy-duty steel wire mesh attached to the outer frame of your panels. This creates a rigid, weather-resistant barrier around the entire array perimeter. By blocking physical access without sealing off airflow, a bird guard preserves necessary system ventilation while permanently keeping wildlife on your roof safely out from underneath your equipment.
Yes, critter guard installations can be added to your existing solar system at any time, regardless of system age or who performed the original installation. Professional crews retroactively install this protective wire mesh around the array perimeter to block pesky animals without voiding warranties or adding roof penetrations.
At Solar Power Pros, our in-house crews install retrofitted critter guards on both our own systems and third-party residential or commercial solar arrays throughout Colorado. It’s no surprise that our Pros recommend being proactive:
“When it comes to wildlife and your solar array, being proactive is everything. Pigeons and birds are the number one most common nesters—creating a real ‘number two’ health hazard on your roof—it’s actually squirrels that are the most destructive. They gnaw through wire insulation, strip protective conduit, and block air flow, turning an unprotected system into a costly fire hazard. Eliminate the threat by being proactive with critter guard. If you’re building a new system or retrofitting an existing array, don’t wait until pests rack up expensive repairs to seal your perimeter.”
Adding protection during routine roof repairs or solar maintenance before pests enter.
Hearing scratching or chirping noises on your roof or around the modules.
Observing squirrels, pigeons, or raccoons moving under the solar panels or around the conduit.
Experiencing sudden system performance dips caused by chewed wires or blocked ventilation.
If you notice any of these signals, reach out and our team can inspect your system to recommend the best solution before minor damage becomes a costly repair.
Property owners across Denver, Aurora, Boulder, Fort Collins, Colorado Springs, and the Front Range regularly manage squirrels, birds, and other wildlife interacting with rooftop solar systems.
Taking a proactive approach helps prevent expensive repairs while extending the life of your solar investment. At the same time, your actions help keep critters and their nests in nature where they can thrive, not in danger under your solar equipment.
Colorado winters can also create another challenge for rooftop solar.
As snow melts from warm solar panels, it can slide off in large sheets, creating a hazard for people, vehicles, landscaping, and walkways below. You can see the gutter damage this Colorado homeowner experienced from a snow slide.
We also offer snow guard solutions that help manage snow shedding more safely while protecting your home and property.
If you suspect wildlife may already be living beneath your solar panels—or you’d simply like to prevent future problems—our experienced, in-house service team is here to help. If your system was installed by Solar Power Pros or another solar company, we can inspect your array, identify any damage, and professionally install critter guard to keep your system protected.
Whether your system was installed by Solar Power Pros or another solar company, our residential service & maintenance or commercial O&M team can inspect your array, identify any damage, and professionally install critter guard to keep your system protected.
Call 303-797-6527 or contact us today.
No, critter guard installations that are performed by professional solar experts will not void panel or roof warranties. Quality installers use specialized, non-penetrating fastener clips that clamp directly to the underside frame lip of the panels, securing the mesh barrier without drilling into the solar modules or penetrating roof materials. At Solar Power Pros, our technicians use these specialized, non-invasive mounting methods on every installation across Colorado to keep all existing manufacturer and roof warranties 100% intact.
No, critter guards do not negatively affect appearance, ventilation, or energy production of your system. High-quality guards feature a low-profile, black PVC-coated steel mesh that seamlessly blends with your solar array perimeter. The rigid wire grid blocks animals while allowing full underside airflow, preventing thermal buildup that degrades panel efficiency.
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