Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines(CAAP)

July 14, 2023 Dear M. Ignacio, Greetings! Thank you for your request dated Jul 13, 2023 10:27:28 AM under Executive Order No. 2 (s. 2016) on Freedom of Information in the Executive Branch. Your Request You asked for Guidelines/Requirements for Installation of Solar Plants near Airports. Response to Request Your FOI request is approved. Please see below the response from the Aerodrome Development and Management Service (ADMS) - Operational Safety Division: With regards to height restrictions and limitations, you are advised to apply for Height Evaluation (refer to attached forms). There are 2 types of Height Evaluation applications: 1. Height Clearance Permit (HCP) - a permit granted to an applicant proposing to construct a structure (fixed, mobile, permanent or temporary) with height compliant to applicable Civil Aviation Regulations. Also, this is required prior to issuance of a building permit. 2. Height Limitation (HL) Letter - an assessment result to an inquiry requesting the Maximum Allowable Top Elevation (MATE) at a specific location. This is usually used for planning purposes but this does not exempt the project proponent from securing HCP. The Solar Farm Development may not pose safety concern as long as it will not infringe the height limitations (secure Height Clearance Permit, as applicable) and will not cause glint/glare. To explain further the glint/glare concern, please refer to the ICAO Doc 9184 - Airport Planning Manual Part II - Land Use and Environmental Management: Consideration of a large solar array should be accompanied by an ocular analysis of glint (a brief flash of light) and glare (a continuous source of bright light). This would help identify solar panel orientations that maximize system performance while eliminating risk of glint and glare which could be hazardous to air traffic controllers and pilots. For further clarification, you may directly reply to the OSD at: [email protected]. The OSD also sent this information to the email address you provided. Your right to request a review If you are unhappy with this response to your FOI request, you may ask us to carry out an internal review of the response by writing to [email protected]. Your review request should explain why you are dissatisfied with this response, and should be made within 15 calendar days from the date when you received this letter. We will complete the review and tell you the result within 30 calendar days from the date when we receive your review request. If you are not satisfied with the result of the review, you then have the right to appeal to the Office of the President under Administrative Order No. 22 (s. 2011). REQUEST FOR FEEDBACK We would love to hear your thoughts or feedback on how we can improve your experience in using the eFOI portal. We would highly appreciate it if you could send your feedback by accomplishing the FOI Request Feedback Form that you can access through this link: https://forms.gle/tSDKU422jMd6wa4h8 Thank you for using the eFOI portal. Respectfully, CAAP FOI Receiving Officer