Solar Glare Reduction

How to reduce glare from solar panels

There are four common fixes. Move or tilt the array so reflections miss the people who would see them. Use panels with textured or anti-reflective glass. Put up screening, such as trees or fencing, for viewers at ground level. Or cover the glass with a matte film, which is what SolarSkin does.

Most projects use more than one. A glare study shows which panels reflect toward whom, and when, so you can pick the fix that fits the site.

Why glare can stop a project

Panel glass reflects some of the sunlight that hits it, most of all when the sun meets the glass at a shallow angle. When that reflection lands in a pilot’s eyes, a driver’s windshield or a neighbor’s window, a project that looked fine on paper runs into objections, extra studies or a redesign.

Airports have the strictest rule. Under an FAA policy issued in May 2021, a federally obligated airport with a control tower has to state that its solar project won’t cause glare in the tower cab. If glare shows up after the panels are built, the airport has to fix it at its own expense.

How SolarSkin reduces glare

SolarSkin is a thin printed film that covers the front of the panel. Its matte surface breaks up the reflection, so sunlight scatters instead of bouncing back as one bright beam. The panels are then mounted and wired like any other.

No film removes glare completely. How much SolarSkin helps at a given site depends on the layout, the sun’s path and where people are, which is why sites with strict rules run a glare study.

What it costs in output

Any film over a panel blocks some light. Sistine’s figures put energy yield at 98 to 99% of the bare panel’s output with partial coverage, 92% with half coverage and 85% with full coverage. Panels without film lose nothing, and a glare study can show which panels cause the problem, which may let you cover only those.

Where glare control matters

• Airports and heliports
• Highways, rail lines and busy roads
• Roofs that offices, hotels or neighbors look down on
• Schools, campuses and public buildings, where neighbors weigh in on permits

Bring us in during design

SolarSkin goes on before the panels are mounted, so the time to plan for glare is while the layout and the glare study are being done. Tell us about the site, the panels and who might see them, and we’ll work out where the film should go. Request a quote.

Solar glare questions

Do solar panels cause glare?

Yes. Panel glass is made to absorb light, but it still reflects some, most of all when sunlight hits it at a shallow angle.

Does SolarSkin eliminate glare?

No film eliminates glare. SolarSkin reduces it by replacing the glossy surface with a matte one.

Will an anti-glare film lower my energy output?

Some. Sistine’s figures put energy yield at 98 to 99% of the bare panel’s output with partial coverage, 92% with half coverage and 85% with full coverage.

Can SolarSkin go on panels that are already installed?

Only if they come down. SolarSkin is applied before mounting, so new projects are the best fit.

Will SolarSkin get my airport project approved?

We can’t promise that. The airport’s own glare analysis decides it. SolarSkin gives the design team one more option when a layout shows glare.