Citing what it calls an “unacceptable safety risk,” Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport has filed suit demanding removal of a solar panel field that reflects sunlight in a way that blinds pilots on landings.
The problem first arose in March, with Schiphol forced to shut down one of its main runways for hours at a time mid-day on sunny days for several weeks. The airport says it expects the conditions to recur in August, and says it has filed the request for a summary judgement because removing the panels could take weeks.
Schiphol, the Dutch air traffic control, and the airlines say that the consequences for air traffic of continued closings is too significant, as well as causing more noise and other issues for locals because it would increase traffic at other runways and landing points.
The solar field, which could cost millions of Euros to remove, belongs to Groene Energie Corridor, and was installed with permission from the town of Haarlemmermeer. When the permits were issued several years ago, officials were warned of the problem, but believed it would be solved by a promise to use solar panels with different reflection profiles. However, that glass was not used, and Groene Energie says it is no longer available, while critics say it is still available, but costs 1.4 times the glass that was used.
Image: Reger Cremers/Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
UPDATE
Schiphol Airport has won a partial court victory in the solar field case, but says it is not enough. A judge has ordered the operator of the field, Groene Energie Corridor, to remove 78,000 of the 230,000 panels.
The judge ruled that those panels were the cause of the glare that has led to runway shutdowns. Schiphol officials have filed a new complaint, asking that the entire field be removed, saying that the other portions are also involved. The Aviation Authority of the Dutch government supports that view, but does not have jurisdiction to cancel the energy operator’s permit.