Avoid high follow-up costs - have your PV-modules checked in advance!

Although photovoltaic modules are designed in a way that the light is mostly being absorbed by the solar module, a small part of the sunlight is reflected on the module’s surface.

The reflection of sunlight on the glass surface can lead to disturbances and hazards in certain environments (residential buildings, railway and road traffic). Therefore, when constructing a photovoltaic plant, any resulting reflections on nearby roads, railway tracks, buildings, etc. have to be taken into account as well as any negative impact on road or rail traffic due to glare or, in the case of buildings, any inconvenience for the residents.

The increasing amount of solar parks constructed along motorways and railways therefore requires a risk assessment to be carried out by the regulatory authorities.

Even before constructing the photovoltaic plant, a respective glare assessment can clarify any effects of solar reflections on the environment. Thus, the plant design can still be changed during the planning phase and high follow-up costs for subsequent measures can be avoided, such as a visual protection for reducing reflections. In our analyses, we determine whether and how long reflections can be perceived on a street or on buildings.

If reflections occur, they will be recorded precisely in the expert report and assessed by our experts regarding legal requirements for emmissions.

Based on your fixed photovoltaic plant in relation to any object such as motorways, railway lines or residential buildings, 8.2 uses the location-based solar course and digital area models in order to analyze reflection incidents. On the basis of various parameters, such as duration of the reflections and the input direction, we then evaluate the risks or the interference level for the corresponding object.

We prepare glare assessments and, if necessary, recommend measures and hazard reduction or for obtaining approval.