Issue:
ED‐1
AZARNG Site: There is potential for solar energy
generation facility impacts.
Entire JLUS
Project Area
There are several existing and proposed
commercial solar energy generation facilities
within the JLUS Project Area that could cause
glare impacts to helicopter pilots. Coordination
with the AZARNG on solar facility development
can help ensure that the siting of facilities and the
types of methods and materials used in their
construction are compatible with military
operations.
Compatibility Assessment
A potential concern with solar facility development is reflectivity including glint (a
momentary flash of light) and glare (a more continuous source of excessive brightness
relative to the ambient lighting) which can cause effects such as a brief loss of vision,
blurred vision, or act as a visual distraction. For the Pinal County JLUS, the primary
concerns with this issue are potential impacts to helicopter operations and safety of
pilots. Temporary vision impairment can increase the risk for helicopter mishaps,
especially during low level operations. Certain types of solar energy facilities can cause
glare depending on the type or materials used, location, size, angle, and direction,
potentially resulting in an impairment of a pilot’s view. The amount of glare will vary
depending on factors such as time of day, angle of solar panels, altitude of helicopters,
and proximity of the helicopter to the source of glare, the photo on this page illustrates
an example of glare from an aircraft cockpit flying in proximity to a solar energy
generation facility.
Solar Farm Reflectivity Impact
on Aircraft
Source: Air Force Flight Test
Center 412 Training Wing at
Edwards AFB
5-32
Materials used in the construction of the solar panels are a concern for creating glare.
Solar panels are constructed with materials which are meant to assist in the generation
and distribution of collected sunlight, but can also cause unintended glare for military
and civilian pilots. Both photovoltaic and concentrated solar power systems have the
potential to create glint / glare under the right conditions and there are technologies
available to reduce or eliminate sunlight reflection and minimize glint / glare. Because
solar energy projects introduce new visual surfaces to the operating environment where
reflectivity could result in glare that causes visual impacts to pilots, reflectivity potential
requires careful analysis during project siting and design. Single‐site solar development,
such as for individual residential use, is not generally a concern for glint / glare issues due
to their small size, but large‐scale solar development can cause concerns if developed
with materials using higher sunlight reflectivity potential.
Compatibility Assessment