Any issues caused by light affecting nearby people can be addressed with the help of a glint and glare assessment.
For a referral to a specialist team, get in touch with Arbtech.
Last updated: July 2026
Editor at Arbtech, Rob is a content specialist who manages our ecology and arboriculture services copy to ensure it is accurate, up to date, and insightful for current and future clients.
Developing solar PV installations or modern commercial building facades often requires a technical assessment to ensure reflected sunlight does not disrupt the surrounding environment.
At Arbtech, we coordinate comprehensive glint and glare assessments through a trusted, specialist external consultancy.
Our partner team utilises advanced geometric modelling to analyse potential reflection risks to local residents, motorists and aviation infrastructure.
By combining this specialist data with our internal ecology and landscape services, we provide a complete, planning-ready package to secure your local authority approval smoothly.
In the UK, planners and developers are encouraged to move towards green infrastructure, installing solar panels and designing modern buildings with expansive glass curtains as a means of reducing carbon emissions.
The reflective surfaces can, however, alter how light interacts with the present and surrounding environment.
Whenever reflected sunlight is directed towards light-sensitive locations, it can create a major visual distraction and a safety hazard.
For this reason, local planning authorities frequently mandate a professional glint and glare assessment before considering granting planning permission.
Working with a trusted partner company to manage this technical process on your behalf, Arbtech can help to arrange glint and glare services, satisfying the local authorities and getting planning applications approved.
The phenomenon of solar glint and glare is caused by the sun reflecting off smooth or polished materials.
While both effects stem from the same glare source, they impact the relevant receptors in completely different ways, as we explain in the following sections:
Glint is a momentary flash of bright and intense light.
It typically occurs when the observer is moving quickly past a reflective surface or when a component of the installation itself is in motion.
Glare is a continuous source of brightness that lasts over a longer period of time.
It is a less intense but more prolonged duration of bright light that causes a steady visual distraction against the background sky or landscape.
To accurately evaluate glint and glare risk, our specialist partner looks at how light bounces off specific project components.
The technical study calculates the intensity of reflections based on direct normal irradiance (the amount of solar radiation striking a surface perpendicular to the sun’s rays) to ensure that the development doesn’t pose a hazard to the public.
Through our trusted partner, we coordinate comprehensive mapping services across two primary development streams:
Modern structural designs utilise vast expanses of smooth glass and metal cladding.
A facade study ensures that these materials do not project an intense reflection into urban spaces or nearby transport links.
It also protects residential amenity by proving that the design won’t cause disability glare – the type of intense brightness that physically impairs a person’s vision – for neighbouring residents.
If you’re developing utility-scale solar farms or commercial rooftop PV systems, a dedicated solar glare assessment is crucial.
The reflection profile changes completely depending on whether you install standard fixed-tilt PV arrays or systems that utilise single-axis tracking to follow the sun.
Modern solar photovoltaic panels are specifically engineered to absorb as much light as possible.
When PV modules are manufactured with advanced anti-reflective coatings or textured glass, however, the flat surface of the solar modules can still bounce light toward nearby receptors at specific times of the day.
Our partner team uses industry-standard software to assess glint and project precise glare vectors over a full calendar year.
To maintain absolute accuracy, the geometric model accounts for slope error (the minor structural deviations and imperfections in how the PV panels are manufactured or installed), ensuring the predicted glare accounts for real-world variables.
Maintaining aviation safety is the most critical element of any glare study.
Any solar PV projects or reflective buildings proposed within a 30-kilometre radius of an airfield trigger an automatic safeguarding consultation.
For federally obligated airports and UK military or commercial airfields, our partner’s reports strictly comply with the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) methodology and Civil Aviation Authority (CAP) 764 guidelines.
The modelling simulates the exact flight paths of aircraft on a 2-mile final approach to ensure that pilots never experience flash blindness during critical landing phases.
Air traffic control towers must also feature a clear line of sight, meaning the visual control rooms typically need a threshold of zero glare.
The assessment framework splits the surrounding area into distinct categories to protect both fixed and moving receptors:
| Receptor Group | Analysis | Thresholds |
|---|---|---|
| Ground-Based Receptors | Pedestrians, local properties and residential windows within 1 kilometre | Impacted if glare duration exceeds 60 minutes per day or lasts over 3 months a year |
| Road Safety | Motorists travelling on local roads, A-roads and national highways | Checked to see if reflections strike a driver’s primary field of view |
| Aviation and Rail | Pilots, air traffic controllers and trackside train drivers | Strict safeguarding zones apply; infrastructure must remain clear of hazardous reflections |
To ensure that your report stands up to the scrutiny of the local authorities, our partner follows a multi-stage engineering workflow to complete every assessment:
The process begins with precise receptor identification.
In order to cover all areas, the team maps the exact boundary of the proposed PV facilities and plots every light-sensitive property, highway and railway line within the zone of influence.
Tracking software simulates the Earth’s orbit and orientations relative to the site’s coordinates.
It plots the sun’s path minute-by-minute across 365 days to determine exactly when a geometric reflection path exists between the solar PV installations and the identified targets.
A geometric path is only an issue if there is a direct line of sight.
The model overlays local topography and digital terrain data to check if existing features in the landscape completely block the reflection from hitting the target, such as hills, commercial buildings or dense woodlands.
If a significant impact is identified, our partner will outline effective mitigation measures in an effort to resolve the issue.
It could involve designing alternative configurations for the panel layout, altering the tile angles or installing green infrastructure screening.
By addressing the issues early through proactive stakeholder engagement with planning officers and other stakeholders involved in the process, developers and planners can protect their investment and secure a smooth path to approval.
Arbtech has stood as a trusted fixture in the UK planning sector for many years, helping thousands of developers and planners with navigating complex environmental policies and environmental management frameworks.
If your planning project has been flagged by the local authority or if a consultation has made a glare assessment required as part of your planning application, let us handle the coordination side for you.
Our partner’s technical modelling covers all variables, protecting both ground-based properties and local traffic lines of sight from hazardous visual impact.
With the support of our partner team to analyse the precise geometric footprint of your site, you can ensure that your glare/glint issues are resolved long before they cause any problems for the local community.
Through a combination of renewable energy glare studies and other landscape surveys with the arboricultural and ecological services we provide in-house, you can streamline your entire planning evidence through a single coordinator.
The team we partner with creates comprehensive engineering reports to ensure that any solar panel glare or issues with other surfaces are eliminated through smart design and targeted mitigation.
From projects with complex facades to developments with expansive solar arrays, we will make sure that you get the professional advice you need to manage any glint/glare concerns and successfully secure planning permission.
Start the process by contacting our team via our website, social media channels, phone or email. From there, we can put you in touch with the trusted partner company to complete a glint and glare assessment on your site.
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