Glaring study of PV shade structures along SNCF railway lines

Our mission

The mission consists of studying the sun’s reflection on the project’s photovoltaic modules near a railway line and analysing the impact of potential glare on drivers in both directions of traffic, at all times of the day and every day of the year.

Visual discomfort was detected in the morning during the summer months for one direction of traffic, and two solutions were proposed by Kapstan:

• Installation of a hedge to hide the modules from the road
• Installation of modules equipped with anti-glare textured glass, and identification of the minimum installation area in order to limit additional costs.

Glare towards TGV drivers was detected. Some rays are indeed reflected towards drivers, but the visual disturbance is considered limited, and therefore non-critical, for the following reasons:

• The angle between the reflected ray and the direction of the train reduces the intensity of the glare.
• The reflected rays come from almost the same direction as the sun at the end of the day, which limits the surprise effect for drivers.
• The section of track concerned and the speed of the trains limit the duration of exposure.