Residents of a Shanghai residential complex have complained about light reflected into their homes at all hours from solar panels installed above a nearby parking lot, reported the Shanghai Observer.
The solar photovoltaic system was installed on the roof of a ground-level parking lot in front of a high-rise building in the Hongmei Jingdian Community complex. It powers charging stations for electric vehicles and shelters the site by acting as a canopy. The Shanghai Observer’s investigation found that residents living above the fifth floor of the building have been affected by the glare of sunlight reflected from the panels, the intensity of which increases with height. Meanwhile, at night, the panels reflect street lighting into the homes of residents on lower floors.
In response to the complaints, the operator of the parking lot said it would identify areas on the panels causing the reflection and install coverings, the outlet noted.
Installations of solar photovoltaic systems in China have sparked complaints of light pollution before. Earlier this year, residents of a high-rise building in Chengdu complained about intense glare from solar panels on the roofs of nearby bungalows disrupting their daily life at home. One claimed the dazzling light was “almost blinding” her in the summer, according to Sichuan Online.
However, nationwide, the law does not clearly define light pollution, notes Sichuan Online. In 2022, Shanghai incorporated measures to combat light pollution into its environmental protection regulations, becoming the first city in China to do so. The regulations do not clarify whether light reflected from solar panels is considered pollutive.
Additionally, neither the National Energy Administration’s published measures nor Shanghai’s regulatory document for distributed (small-scale) solar photovoltaic power generation development and installation state a requirement for environmental impact assessments to be conducted for such projects.
Read Dialogue Earth’s previous analysis about the development of rooftop solar power generation in China.