Netherlands-based BirdBlocker has added three new lines to its range of bird protection products for solar installations, including a new cable management brand. All three new additions were on display at the Intersolar exhibition at the Smarter E Europe, Munich.
CableFixPro is a new clip range that BirdBlocker said can be installed without tools and is compatible with traditional and box-frame solar panels. Each clip is made from NS-coated stainless steel spring wire, can hold two 6 – 8 mm cables, boasts a 10-year warranty and is sold in retail quantities of 100 clips per package and wholesale quantities of 50 packages per box. CableFixPro clips are compatible with the entire BirdBlocker range and are compliant with European IEC standards and British Standards for safety and performance.
Paul van der Ven, co-owner of BirdBlocker, said that solar panel manufacturers have started favoring box-design frames on the short side of their panels, meaning existing cable clips that clamp to an edge have become incompatible – creating an opportunity in the market. “Our catalogue of measured frames from 2023 shows that 63% of the frames have a box-design on the short side,” said van der Ven, adding that the company measured solar modules from 113 brands in 2023.
“We created a system with three varieties of clips that results in a cable management system that is on the one hand universally compatible with all panel frame designs, on the other hand it is also compatible with BirdBlocker bird proofing systems,” he told pv magazine.
BirdBlocker also previewed the newest iteration of its bird-proofing solution at Intersolar – BirdBlocker BB85. Designed to prevent birds from nesting under solar modules, BirdBlocker is a plastic skirt which is installed around PV modules. With the launch of BirdBlocker BB85, scheduled for September 2024, the brand will introduce an 85 mm high redesigned variant that improves compatibility with metal, corrugated , and trapezoidal rooftops, steel decks, and low-mount systems. Each variant in the BirdBlocker range is made from black UV-resistant recyclable HDPE plastic, which the company also claims is cold and heat resistant.
Previously, BirdBlocker’s 200 mm product was used on metal, corrugated and trapezoidal roofs “with a lot of effort and waste material,” said van der Ven. The BirdBlocker co-owner reckons this new version should open doors in the C&I segment. “Given that this type of roofing is often used in industry as well as agriculture, issues like hygiene – feces, fungi, mites, ticks, bacteria and even viruses like avian flu – are avoided by keeping birds at bay,” he said. Bird nests can also represent a fire hazard when found under pv modules, according to van der Ven, providing further inventive to invest in protection.
On pricing, BirdBlocker said that cost is largely dependent on the layout of the installation, however the company said that should an installer include BirdBlocker with a residential installation it would likely add “a few hundred euros” onto the cost to consumers. Retrofitting is normally more expensive for consumers as it requires a return visit from an installer, who will need to remove and re-install panels.
BirdBlocker has also made an aesthetic change to its clip range with the launch of box-design clips in black. Measuring 30 mm in height and 14-18 mm in width, the clips are designed to securely fit the BirdBlocker system.
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