The Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management is introducing a temporary framework that will tighten the rules surrounding new permit applications for solar parks near airports.
In a letter to the House of Representatives, Minister Vincent Karremans of Infrastructure and Water Management explains that there are currently no specific regulations in the Netherlands in the field of aviation safety with regard to solar park installations near airports.
He added that the framework will provide authorities and stakeholders “with guidance to help them make informed decisions within their respective areas of responsibility.”
The move follows an incident in March 2025 that left Schiphol’s Polderbaan runway unavailable for landing traffic for two hours due to glare from solar panels. The incident prompted Dutch authorities to order the removal of approximately 78,000 nearby panels and saw project owners replace all remaining panels.
Following the event, the ministry asked consultancy firm Arcadis to develop a framework with conditions and criteria for which solar parks can be deployed near airports.
The Arcadis report establishes that although it is important to use the area around airports for solar parks, aviation parties and the Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT) must be given a clear role in validating flight safety aspects of the design of a solar park.
“The temporary framework outlines when and how aviation stakeholders and the aviation authority ILT can be involved in the development of solar parks near airports,” Karremans explains in the letter. “The temporary framework will be relevant for new permit applications for solar parks.”
In cases where permit applications are already underway, but no permit has yet been granted, the authorities involved may decide whether or not to enter into consultation to adjust the layout of the planned park.
Karremans added that the framework should apply to Schiphol, the Netherlands’ main airport, as well as other airports in the country. In the meantime, follow-up research will be conducted by the Netherlands Aerospace Center to determine what can be defined as a safe distance for solar energy from an airport runway.
The framework is only being introduced temporarily because the European Aviation Safety Agency is preparing regulations on the glare of solar panels near airports, which should appear after 2029, according to Karremans in the letter.
The Dutch PV association Holland Solar responded to Karremans’ letter with concerns about the decision to impose stricter rules on all future solar energy projects around airports. Before introducing rules that could affect the development of renewable energy sources, it is important to first determine whether those rules are actually necessary.
“Based on one known incident where pilots actually experienced glare from solar panels around Schiphol, stricter rules will be introduced for all future solar farms around Dutch airports,” the association said. “There is a lack of convincing substantiation as to why solar panels may soon have to meet stricter reflection requirements than other surfaces, such as water or greenhouse horticulture.”
Holland Solar says it calls for additional independent research into the effectiveness of both the existing international guidelines and the proposed stricter assessment framework before new national standards are introduced.
“Safety always comes first, of course. But if you want to introduce stricter national rules based on one known situation, it must be clear why this is necessary,” says Wijnand van Hooff, director of the association. “We do not see sufficient justification for this in the report.”
