windPRO

GLARE Module

Assess and mitigate solar panel reflections

With the rapid growth of solar PV installations, concerns about glare from solar panels are becoming more common – especially from neighboring homes, drivers, and even pilots. The GLARE module in windPRO gives you the tools to analyze, document, and reduce glare effects from solar PV farms and other reflective structures.

Accurately calculate glare impact from solar panels and glass surfaces

Calculate Glare with Precision

  • Evaluate when and where glare will occur from solar panels.

  • Quantify the intensity of reflected sunlight, not just its presence.

  • Include beam spread, luminance, and irradiance in your analysis.

Visualize Glare with Maps & Calendars

  • See which panels cause glare, when it happens, and where it hits.

  • Use interactive glare calendars and azimuth-based maps to easily interpret results.

  • Adjust layout interactively to minimize glare exposure to sensitive areas.

Evaluate Glare Intensity

  • Determine if glare exceeds local regulatory thresholds.

  • Assess potential impacts on residential comfort, traffic safety, or airline visibility.

  • Support national and regional regulations with high-resolution calculations (e.g., >30 W/m² or >50,000 cd/m²).

Simulate Reflective Surfaces

  • Model different coatings, glass types, and textures to see how they reduce or alter glare.

  • Compare materials like anti-reflective coatings or textured glass for mitigation strategies.

  • Apply glare modeling to both solar PV panels and glass façades or other 3D structures.

Integrated with the SOLAR PV Module

GLARE works seamlessly with windPRO’s SOLAR PV module, making it easy to assess the glare impact of your solar project as part of your full site analysis. Whether you're planning a solar farm or evaluating a reflective building facade, GLARE delivers detailed, regulation-ready insights.

IMPORTANT: For calculation with PV plants SOLAR PV is required.

Why use GLARE in windPRO?

  • Comply with glare regulations for homes, roads, and aviation

  • Accurately quantify and visualize glare intensity

  • Evaluate mitigation strategies using real-world materials

  • Communicate with authorities and stakeholders using clear reports

Glare reporting made easy

Generate professional reports that provide clear insights and full documentation:

  • Summary of yearly and daily glare durations at each receptor.
  • List of affected receptors, with their position and exposure time.
  • Assumptions and inputs used in the calculation.
  • Maps of reflector and receptor locations for quick visual reference.

Export timeseries data for each glare event, including:

  • Time of glare occurrence (default 1-minute resolution)
  • Glare count per day
  • Sun position (azimuth and altitude)
  • Incidence angle
  • Reflected irradiance at the receptor
windPRO

Plan responsibly, comply with glare limits, and protect your project's reputation

Take a closer look at every windPRO module

windPRO is built around a flexible, modular structure, so you can choose the tools that fit your specific project requirements. Whether you're developing a new wind farm, analyzing the performance of an existing one, or planning a repowering project, windPRO has you covered.

BASIS

BASIS

Backbone for the use of windPRO modules. Gives access to a user-friendly GUI for designing wind farm projects.


Energy Modules

METEO

Import wind measurements, then screen, flag, filter, compare, and analyze the data as part of a robust pre-processing workflow.

MODEL

Interface to WAsP/WAsP CFD and other CFD models. Wind resource mapping and wind atlas calculations.

PARK

AEP calculation including wake losses - advanced features as time varying production, RIX calculation etc.

MCP

Measure Correlate Predict - Generate long-term corrected wind statistics and time-series.

LOSS & UNCERTAINTY

Calculation of AEP in a bankable format.

OPTIMIZE

Optimize LCOE, AEP or NPV with load and noise limits.

SOLAR PV

Design and AEP of solar PV projects.

HYBRID

Combine wind and solar PV to make best use of the grid connection


Operation Modules

TR10 – Quality factor

Post-construction analysis according to German TR10 Guideline.

PERFORMANCE CHECK

Analysis of actual production data from WTGs.


Loads Modules

SITE COMPLIANCE

WTG suitability for site and layout.

LOAD RESPONSE

WTG load estimation and Lifetime Extension.


Environment Modules

SHADOW

Calculate the shadow impact (flickering).

DECIBEL

Noise calculations based on different models.

ZVI

Calculates Zones of Visual Influence or Radar Interference.

GLARE

Calculate the impact of solar glare.

IMPACT

Individual neighbor environmental impact report.

NORD2000

Advanced noise calculations.


Visualization Modules

PHOTOMONTAGE

Visualization of WTGs on photo or artificial landscape.

ANIMATION

Animated presentation of a photomontage.

SketchUp INTEGRATION

Import and export from SketchUp.


Electrical Module

eGRID

Enables design of a wind farm’s electrical network up to the point of connection, supporting radial layouts, loss calculations, and grid compliance analyses.


Economy Module

WINDBANK

Financial evaluation of WTG projects


Scripting Module

SCRIPTING

Interact with windPRO via API calls.