Agriculture & Land

For farms and landowners, solar is a capital and diversification decision as much as an energy one. Barn and shed roofs can power the operation, and you can export any surplus to the grid. Larger parcels of land can host ground-mounted arrays, or you can lease them to a developer for an index-linked income.

The variables are the funding and land model, the rural grid connection, and the planning and agricultural-land position. That includes agrivoltaic options, which keep land in production alongside generation. We model the routes as business cases so you can weigh income, risk and use of the asset. If self-supply and land-lease both look plausible for your site, our land lease vs on-site solar guide sets out the trade-offs in detail.

Rural grid connections deserve early attention because they're often the constraint that decides what's possible. Any array above the smallest domestic scale falls under Engineering Recommendation G99. The process runs through an initial enquiry to the local DNO, then a formal application. For larger systems, a technical assessment follows before the DNO issues a connection offer.

In rural areas, the limiting factor is frequently local substation and cable headroom, rather than the farm itself. Many rural networks have limited spare capacity for new generation. A site a mile or two from the nearest substation can face significant reinforcement costs. A well-connected neighbour, by contrast, pays little.

We check DNO headroom as part of any land or roof appraisal. We do that before you commit to a lease or capex spend.

For ground-mount schemes, the land's Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) grade shapes what's realistic. ALC grades farmland 1 to 5, with Grade 3 split into 3a ('good') and 3b ('moderate'). Grades 1, 2 and 3a together count as 'best and most versatile' (BMV) land, under national planning guidance.

Planning policy steers large ground-mount solar away from BMV land and towards Grade 3b and below. That's why an early ALC survey matters — before you sign a lease, not after. An ALC survey tells you whether a site is a strong planning candidate, or one that will face objection.

Agrivoltaics lets grazing or cropping continue between or beneath the panels. It's one of the few routes that can strengthen a case on better land. A credible, evidenced continuing agricultural use answers the BMV objection directly. It's also a use case central government has explicitly recognised as part of national solar policy.

On the commercial side, UK solar developers typically pay landowners in the region of £2,500 per hectare a year — around £1,000 an acre. That's for a long-term, index-linked lease, well above typical arable or grazing rents. Well-connected, well-located sites can command even more. We model that income against the land's ALC grade, the option and lease terms on offer, and the grid position. That tells you whether leasing, self-supply or a hybrid agrivoltaic scheme is the stronger use of the asset.