Solar Panels for Farms & Agricultural Buildings

Why UK Farmers Are Installing Solar in 2026

UK farms face sustained pressure on margins — energy is one of the few controllable costs. Agricultural electricity tariffs averaged 28–34p/kWh in 2026, with some farmers on farm-specific business tariffs paying 30–38p/kWh. A single dairy farm with 300 cows can spend £45,000–£80,000 per year on electricity for milking, water heating, refrigeration, and ventilation. Solar directly offsets this — with daytime generation closely matching morning and evening milking periods.

England's farm-grant landscape changed in 2025–26: round 2 of the Improving Farm Productivity (IFP) grant, which paid 25% of eligible solar costs, closed in July 2025, and the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF) 2026 closed on 12 May 2026 — and contrary to much of what is still published online, FETF was a fixed-rate equipment fund, never a percentage capital grant for solar. With 100% first-year AIA tax relief, Class J permitted development on most farm roofs and 25-year panel warranties, the case for farm solar rests on the electricity you use on site.

Farm Solar Grants in 2026 — What Has Closed

The grant that did fund farm solar was round 2 of the Improving Farm Productivity (IFP) grant, run by the Rural Payments Agency under the Farming Investment Fund. Its solar theme paid 25% of eligible costs (grants of £15,000–£100,000) for systems powering farm operations. It was invite-only after an online checker that closed in March 2024, and it closed to applications at the end of July 2025.

What that means for a project now:

• No farm solar capital grant is open in England at the time of writing (checked 7 October 2026), so do not build the business case around one
• Defra plans a combined farm grant offer from 2027 — read its rules on gov.uk before you apply
• Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland run their own schemes — check the relevant government's rural-payments service

Whatever the grant position, the Annual Investment Allowance (100% first-year tax deduction) applies UK-wide — with AIA alone, typical farm solar payback is 2–4 years. Check current funding availability before you structure an application.

Farm Solar System Sizing by Type

Farm Type	Annual Electricity Use	Recommended System	Annual Saving*	Installed Cost (no grant)
Dairy Farm (200 cows)	120,000–180,000 kWh	50–80kWp	£13,500–£22,000	£37k–£73k
Dairy Farm (500+ cows)	250,000–400,000 kWh	100–200kWp	£27,000–£54,000	£72k–£175k
Poultry (50,000 birds)	300,000–500,000 kWh	100–250kWp	£27,000–£67,500	£72k–£219k
Pig Farm (500 sows)	200,000–350,000 kWh	75–150kWp	£20,000–£40,000	£55k–£131k
Arable (grain drying)	80,000–200,000 kWh	30–100kWp	£8,100–£27,000	£23k–£95k
Mixed Farm	100,000–250,000 kWh	40–100kWp	£10,800–£27,000	£31k–£95k

* Annual saving at 30p/kWh with 75% self-consumption. Installed cost assumes no capital grant — none is open for farm solar in England at the time of writing.

Class J Permitted Development for Farm Solar

In England, Class J of Part 14 of Schedule 2 to the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 2015 covers solar panels on buildings other than houses and flats, which includes farm buildings. Most roof installations qualify as permitted development, subject to these conditions:

• Panels on a pitched roof must not protrude more than 0.2 m from the roof slope; on a flat roof, no part may be more than 1 m above the highest part of the roof
• Panels must not be within 1 m of the edge of the roof
• There is no capacity cap — the old 1 MW limit was removed on 21 December 2023
• Systems over 50 kW need the council's prior approval on design and appearance, in particular glare, before work starts
• The right does not apply to listed buildings (or buildings in their curtilage) or scheduled monuments

Ground-mounted (stand-alone) panels fall under Class K, which is limited to 9 m², so a real farm ground array needs planning permission. Scotland (Class 6J) and Wales have their own rules. Where PD rights don't apply, ask whether the installer's quote includes the planning application.

Farm Building Roof Types

Portal Frame Buildings (Fibre Cement / Tin Roofs)

The majority of UK farm buildings are steel portal frames with profiled metal or fibre cement sheet roofing. These are ideal for solar installation — clamp-mounted systems require no roof penetrations and can be installed quickly. Fibre cement (non-asbestos) roofing is the most common substrate and presents no specialist requirements.

Older Asbestos Cement (AC) Roofing

Many older farm buildings have asbestos cement sheet roofing. This is common on pre-1980 buildings and is not hazardous if undisturbed, but requires specialist handling for any penetration or attachment work. Installers can fit solar on AC roofs using clamp systems that avoid drilling — or overclad (installing new metal sheeting over the existing AC) which resolves both the asbestos and solar opportunity simultaneously.

Grain Store Flat Roofs

Modern grain stores often have flat or shallow-pitch polymer membrane roofs. These suit ballasted solar systems (no penetrations) and can accommodate larger system sizes per square metre of usable roof area than pitched roofs.

Agricultural Energy Profiles: Getting Solar Right by Farm Type

Dairy Farms

Dairy farms are the best-matched farm type for solar due to their consumption profile. Milking twice daily (6–8am and 4–6pm) aligns with solar generation in summer months. Additional loads include milk refrigeration (24/7), hot water for cleaning (morning and evening peaks), and parlour lighting. Typical dairy farm self-consumption rates: 70–85% — among the highest of any agricultural sector.

Poultry Houses

Modern poultry houses are substantial electricity consumers: ventilation fans, lighting programmes, heating during chick rearing, and automated feeding systems. Poultry houses run 24/7 during production cycles, making battery storage complementary to maximise solar use overnight. Large poultry sites with multiple houses often justify 200–500kWp+ systems.

Arable Farming

Arable farms have seasonal electricity demand peaks: grain drying in harvest (August–October) coincides with high solar generation in summer/early autumn, making alignment excellent. Outside harvest, electricity use is lower — battery storage can maximise solar value during low-demand periods.

Pig Farms

Pig buildings use electricity for ventilation, lighting, electric hoists, pressure washing, and heating for weaner accommodation. Load profiles are relatively consistent year-round. Solar offsets base load effectively, with typical self-consumption of 65–75%.

Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) for Farms

Any solar electricity you don't consume on-farm can be exported to the grid under the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG). Business export rates run from about 3p to 15p/kWh depending on supplier and tariff (suppliers' own pages, read October 2026). For farms with a summer surplus (arable farms before harvest, for example), SEG adds income on top of the bill saving, depending on export volume and tariff.

SEG covers systems up to 5 MW with an export meter (check it is included in the installation). Up to 50 kW, suppliers require MCS (or equivalent) certification of the installation and installer; from 50 kW to 5 MW each supplier decides what certification evidence it accepts. Compare SEG tariffs before registering.

Worked example (modelled): 210kWp Dairy Farm, Cumbria

Illustrative, modelled scenario — not a real project. This site is an independent publisher and holds no project data.

A representative profile for a 300-cow dairy farm: a 210kWp system across three farm buildings. Pre-solar electricity spend: £56,000/year. The system generates 186,000 kWh/year, with 83% self-consumed during milking and dairy operations. Annual electricity saving: £46,300. With no capital grant available in England, a modelled project cost of around £184,000 gives a payback of roughly 4 years — before AIA tax relief improves it further.