Millions of homes and businesses use solar panels to harness the energy of the sun. However, the very source of that energy creates a dangerous, reflective glare that affects pilots, air traffic controllers, and motorists.

Sandia National Laboratories (Sandia) developed and patented a web-based technology called the Solar Glare Hazard Analysis Tool (SGHAT), which accurately predicts hazardous glare from solar panels. The patented, award-winning innovation provides quantified assessments of when and where glare will occur every minute of the year as well as information about potential hazardous ocular impacts related to the glare. The tool can also optimize how the panel installation design uses tilt and configuration settings to mitigate glare and maximize energy production.

Sandia initially developed SGHAT in response to safety concerns from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of Energy (DOE), Air Force, Department of Transportation, and other federal and local agencies. SGHAT was developed with funding support from DOE and quickly became the de facto standard. Initially, Sandia offered it free to over 6,000 users in 60 countries.

When DOE funding expired, Sandia licensed SGHAT to Sims Industries, which was established by a former Sandia graduate intern who had originally co-developed the glare analysis software. Sims markets SGHAT as ForgeSolar, which is available for 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 key to SGHAT’s early development.

To arrive at this commercialization, Sandia began by obtaining all necessary conflict-of-interest reviews and approvals, then negotiated a five-year non-exclusive license for the software and an underlying patent with Sims. The next year, Sandia negotiated a license for an updated version of SGHAT, which became ForgeSolar. License amendments addressed adding in new components that were developed by Sandia. The agreement is in effect through 2031.

The technology is now used throughout the United States and in 140 countries. On average, ForgeSolar is used to evaluate an estimated  85 megawatts of solar energy installations every day — enough to power 42,500 homes for a year. This energy and remediation savings can potentially result in homeowners and developers saving from thousands to millions of dollars.

Most importantly, Sandia’s invention and its  commercialization partnership with Sims makes air travel, driving, and day-to-day life safer by identifying and reducing glare-related accidents.

This technology received the 2026 FLC Impact Award. Learn more here and discover more awardees in our Awards Gallery.