Solar Panel Glare

The claim that pv glare cannot occur because solar panels are designed to absorb light is not always true.

Solar panel glare.

Solar glare hazard analysis tool this tool determines when and where solar glare can occur throughout the year from a user specified pv array as viewed from user prescribed observation points. There are a number of mitigation options available to solar developers. This has started to become a barrier towards the efficient implementation of solar. Glare occurs when sunlight is reflected off of a flat shiny surface.

The potential ocular impact from the observed glare is also determined along with a prediction of the annual energy production. Solar panel glare is a common occurrence which is not fully mitigated by anti reflective coatings. The risk of an ocular impact is a concern for locations such as airports where pilots tower personnel and even military personnel can be disturbed by a glint or glare from the solar arrays. Whilst panels are designed to efficiently absorb direct and diffuse light they are often highly reflective at low angles.

In an international comprehensive analysis of potential glare hazards pdf see section 7 in aviation from solar panels the uk s spaven consulting points out that a trawl of uk and us aviation incident databases between the years 2000 and 2010 for accidents in which glare was cited as a factor reveals that in the overwhelming majority of these cases the source of the glare was the sun itself. Solar panels are flat and somewhat shiny but they are designed to capture light not reflect it.