A Comparative Study of the Reflectance of Commercial Photovoltaic Modules

Reflective glare of urban photovoltaic systems is a challenge for engineers and urban planners due to the potential operational hazard it poses. Glare considerations have been raised for building-integration photovoltaics, concerning the effect of reflections on nearby buildings, pedestrians, and traffic. Similar warnings are also often posed for installations in other areas, e.g. airports, or in combination with agriculture. The quantification of reflectance is therefore important to aid researchers in the selection of solar modules. In this work we characterise the reflectance of various commercial solar modules to analyse the impact of antiglare coatings or films, soiling, and of silicon-based versus thin-film technologies