PV glare analysis for airports

In air traffic, the concern is the safety of flight operations: pilots on approach, at touchdown and while taxiing, as well as control tower staff, should not be dazzled. For points along the approach, on taxiways and at the tower, PV-GlareCheck calculates when reflections occur, where they lie in the field of view and how bright they are.

Guidelines

EU – EASA. The certification specifications for aerodrome design (CS-ADR-DSN, guidance material GM1 ADR-DSN.M.615, Issue 7, applicable since 24 May 2025) describe glare on approach, at touchdown, while taxiing and for air traffic controllers. For solar modules, the guidance material names a maximum luminance of 20,000 cd/m².

USA – FAA. The 2021 policy covers solar systems on federally obligated airports with a control tower: there should be no glare in the control tower cab. It does not prescribe a specific tool. The superseded 2013 interim policy also covered the final approach and is still referred to in reports.

Others. OVE R 11-3 (Austria, formally withdrawn, unofficially often still applied for orientation) and the non-binding guideline of the Italian ENAC contain notes on air traffic. For Germany, the sources evaluated contain no quantitative criterion of their own; the requirements result from the procedure with the competent aviation authority.

What PV-GlareCheck calculates

• every minute of the year, under clear sky,
• the approach as a flight route with the height along the glide path and a tilted field of view (Pro plan),
• points for departure, traffic circuit, taxiways and the control tower,
• luminance and illuminance at the observation point for module types with a measured reflection profile,
• distance of the reflection from the line of sight, days and times of possible glare,
• occlusion by recorded buildings, hangars and vegetation and by the terrain.

Workflow

1. Take the values from the approach chart: threshold, landing direction, threshold elevation, glide angle.
2. Use the pre-analysis to check which flight paths lie in the direction of reflection at all.
3. Draw the approach as a flight route, the tower and taxiways as points, then start the annual simulation.
4. Set the filters per group in the report and export the result as a PDF.

Limits

The simulation is a model-based screening and does not replace an expert report. It does not calculate retinal irradiance or classify after-image potential. Each point of the route is stationary; cockpit and tower glazing are not modelled. The assessment remains with the responsible expert and the aviation authority.

Next: The manual leads step by step from the approach chart to the result, see manual, chapter VI.4 Air traffic.