Solar Panel Glare Airport

While solar power panels provide a useful means to generate revenue and to provide energy locally they do pose a potential hazard to pilots in the form of glare.

Solar panel glare airport.

Glare viewed from the air traffic control tower at manchester boston regional airport that impacted controllers. From case studies it was understood that prior planning glare assessment and careful implementation are essential for the success of airport based solar pv farms. Moving testing and altering the tilt of the panels for the two known cases where such a field test was conducted the tower personnel determined that the effect of the glare produced by the solar panels was not significant. The canberra times recently published a piece about the concerns about potential glare from the solar panels of the proposed 4 megawatt mw mount majura solar farm given its proximity to canberra airport this article addresses concerns about glare from solar panels in aviation and examines a number of similar case studies both internationally and elsewhere in australia.

Airport based solar pv has. For example at the man chester boston regional airport air traffic controllers atcs reported significant problems seeing due to glare reflecting from the solar. The solar panels in athen s international airport are chosen such that it has a very low reflectivity factor much lower than most objects found at airports such as parked cars. Pager power s assessments can predict the timing and intensity of solar glare for solar pv installations near airports railways highways and dwellings.

Potential glare from solar panels should be viewed in this context. Rows of pv panels installed at a cost of 3 5 million had to be covered with tarp. Forgesolar tools are used throughout the world by industry academia and military to evaluate pv glare. Tests in the field i e.

Forgesolar is the premier toolset for evaluating photovoltaic glare. For example certain pv manufacturers market antiglare modules especially for solar applications in roadways airports and railways where glare impact is a matter of.