Agriculture & Land

Farm solar comes in three shapes. A barn or shed roof can power the holding and export any surplus. A field can carry a ground-mounted array. Or you can lease land to a developer for a rent. Each answers a different question, and they are not mutually exclusive.

Start with the roofs. Livestock sheds, grain stores and packhouses often have large, simple roofs and a steady load. Dairy units run milking and milk cooling every day. A system sized to that load pays back better than one sized to the biggest roof the structure could hold.

The rural network usually decides what is possible. Anything above the G98 limit needs a G99 application. In the countryside the limit is often the local substation and cable, not the farm. A site a mile from the substation can face reinforcement costs that a closer neighbour avoids. We check the operator's capacity data before you sign a lease or spend money.

For ground-mount schemes, land quality matters. The Agricultural Land Classification grades farmland from 1 to 5, with grade 3 split into 3a and 3b. Grades 1, 2 and 3a count as best and most versatile (BMV) land in England. Planning policy steers large ground-mounted solar towards poorer land, so an ALC survey before you sign an option tells you whether a site is a strong candidate or will face objection.

Scale changes the consent route. In England, solar above 100 MW is decided by the Secretary of State as a nationally significant project. The threshold rose from 50 MW on 31 December 2025. Smaller schemes go to the local planning authority.

Agrivoltaics keeps grazing or cropping going between or beneath panels. The government's 2025 Solar Roadmap says it will explore the opportunities for dual use of land, so policy support may grow. Whether it suits your land depends on panel height, fencing and stock.

Land rent needs care, because offers vary. Industry commonly quotes about £2,500 per hectare a year for large solar leases. Savills, writing in November 2022, put the true margin nearer £2,100 and a net income after costs of £588 per hectare. Treat headline rents as a starting point and model the lease terms, the option period and the grid cost. Our guide to land lease against on-site solar sets out the trade-offs.