THE PROBLEM: As the number of solar power installations continues to increase, so do the risks caused by the glare of sunlight on solar panels for pilots, air traffic controllers, motorists, and neighbors. To more accurately predict hazardous glare from solar panels, Sandia National Laboratories (Sandia) developed and patented an award-winning, web-based tool called the Solar Glare Hazard Analysis Tool (SGHAT), which allows users to assess the likelihood of hazardous glare at any given location, time, and date. SGHAT, which was developed with funding support from the Department of Energy (DOE), quickly became the de facto standard, and Sandia provided it free to over 6,000 users in 60 countries. When DOE funding expired, Sandia, DOE, and other stakeholders decided the time was right to commercialize SGHAT.

THE SOLUTION: Sandia licensed SGHAT to Sims Industries, established by a former Sandia graduate intern who had co-developed the software. Sims markets SGHAT as ForgeSolar, which is available free to homeowners and at a discount for government users. This approach has boosted public sector adoption of ForgeSolar while also recognizing the taxpayer support that was instrumental in SGHAT’s early development. Sims also broadened its global application by updating the software with new luminance calculations to satisfy regulatory requirements in the European Union and Australia.

THE TECH TRANSFER MECHANISM: Sandia began by obtaining all necessary conflict-of-interest reviews and approvals, then negotiated a five-year non-exclusive license for the software and underlying patent with Sims. The license permitted Sims to modify the user interface provided that the core analysis code remained unmodified. The following year, Sandia negotiated a license for an updated version of SGHAT, which Sims marketed as ForgeSolar. Two subsequent license amendments added new components developed at Sandia and extended the license through 2026. The license was recently extended again to 2031.

THE IMPACT: Solar energy developers, researchers, government agencies, non-profits, students, and homeowners throughout the U.S. and over 140 countries use ForgeSolar — a growth of nearly 10 times since its introduction. On average, ForgeSolar is used to evaluate around 85 megawatts of solar energy installations every day, enough to power 42,500 homes for a year. This represents potential energy and remediation savings ranging from thousands to millions of dollars for homeowners and developers, as well as lives saved by the prevention of glare-related accidents.