Solar glare screening memo (free)
- Array location, layout and tilt
- Airports, towers and runways nearby
- Policy that applies (FAA 2021 or county)
- Viewpoints to test
- Screening results and limits
- Statement for Form 7460-1 or the county file
Solar developers and airports siting arrays near runways
Where will the solar array go?
Free glare screen for a solar array near an airport or road: which FAA policy applies, what to analyze and what to state on Form 7460-1.
- Free to read
- No sign-up until the draft
- Hands off to the right door
ePlan fills in
- Nearest airports
- Control towers
- Distance to runways
- Homes nearby
How it works
Solar glare screening memo, from one answer
- Enter the array location and panel design.
- ePlan finds nearby towers, runways and homes and lists the viewpoints to test.
- On-airport project needing federal review? Start a NEPA environmental assessment draft.
What you get
Solar glare screening memo and 1 more document
The check is free. The paperwork after it is drafted at the NEPA environmental assessment door.
NEPA environmental assessment draft
- Purpose and need
- Alternatives
- Affected environment
- Environmental consequences
- Agencies consulted
From public data
What ePlan fills in, and from where
- Airports, runways and heliportsFAA Airport Data and Information Portal
- Ground elevationUSGS 3D Elevation Program
- Homes nearbyMicrosoft US Building Footprints
- Aerial viewUSDA NAIP imagery
May 11, 2021
is when FAA's current glare policy took effect for solar on federally obligated airports with control towers, replacing the 2013 interim policy
Source: 86 FR 25801, Federal Register
Ready for the paperwork?
Draft a NEPA environmental assessment and FONSI, or an EIS outline, that follows a reference document. Free to read; every unconfirmed fact is marked.
Questions
Solar Glare Study: what people ask
Does FAA require a glare study?
For solar on a federally obligated airport with a control tower, the sponsor analyzes glint and glare and confirms on Form 7460-1 that there is no potential ocular impact to the tower cab. Since 2021 the results no longer have to be submitted. The policy doesn't cover off-airport arrays.
Which glare tool should I use?
FAA doesn't require or endorse a specific tool. In 2021 it withdrew its recommended Solar Glare Hazard Analysis Tool, noted several glint and glare tools are on the open market, and said that in some cases no tool is needed to support the sponsor's statement.
What about arrays near an airport but off its property?
FAA's solar policy doesn't apply to them, but FAA encourages developers near airports with control towers to consider glare and coordinate with the airport sponsor.
The rules this door follows
Related doors
Other projects people start from here
Federal projects · NEPA
NEPA environmental assessment
What are you proposing, and where?
Utility, DOT and land clearing crews
Tree Clearing Window for Bats, by State
Where are the trees you'll clear?
Ranchers, inholders and co-ops crossing federal land
SF-299 prep checklist
Where would the road or line go?
Manufacturers and plants handling listed chemicals
TRI Form R Reporting
Where is the facility you might report?
Small business owners buying or refinancing property with an SBA loan
SBA Environmental Questionnaire
What's the address of the loan property?
Forest Service · categorical exclusions
Forest Service CE finder
Which Forest Service CE fits your project?
Solar Glare Study: check it free
Answer it and ePlan opens the NEPA environmental assessment door, which drafts the paperwork.