Barn and Shed Roofs
Most agricultural roofs can take panels under permitted development. We check the structure and the sheeting first, because a roof that needs replacing in five years should be sorted before the panels go on.
Solar Panels for Farms and Rural Properties
Barn roofs, field arrays, farmhouses and holiday lets. We design solar and battery systems around the way your property uses power through the day and the year, and we handle the planning and grid paperwork.
Why Solar Suits Farms and Rural Businesses
Farms use most of their electricity in daylight, which is when panels produce it.
Milking parlours, bulk tanks, grain dryers and workshops all draw power through the working day. When panels on the shed roof cover that load directly, you use the electricity on site and save the full unit price, and that's where most of the payback on a farm system comes from.
Rural properties also have the space. A big portal-frame shed can take a system of 30 to 50kW. Where the roofs are shaded or face the wrong way, a ground-mounted array in the corner of a field is another option.
Rural businesses on our client list include Lune Valley Pods, The Red Well Country Inn, Knolton Farmhouse Cheese and Eden Grange Fishery.
Farmhouse or business building? Solar on the farmhouse is zero-rated for VAT until 31 March 2027. Business installations carry 20% VAT, which VAT-registered farms can reclaim.
Your Options
Where the Panels Can Go
Most farms have more than one good spot. We'll look at all of them and show you what each would produce.
Ground-Mounted Arrays
Panels in a field can face due south at the ideal angle, well clear of trees and buildings. They need planning permission above 9 square metres, and we prepare the application for you.
Farmhouses and Cottages
The house follows the home rules and qualifies for 0% VAT until 31 March 2027. Plenty of farms do both: a modest system on the house and a bigger one on the sheds.
Who It Suits
Solar for Every Kind of Rural Business
The best candidates run power-hungry kit in daylight hours and have roof or ground space to spare.
Dairy and Livestock
Milking, milk cooling and water heating run every day of the year, so the panels have a steady load to cover.
Arable and Mixed Farms
Grain drying and storage put heavy loads on the supply at harvest, and big sheds give you the roof space for a large system.
Holiday Lets and Glamping
Guests expect hot showers, warm cabins and somewhere to charge the car. Solar and a battery cut the running costs of pods, lodges and cottages.
Country Pubs and Hospitality
Kitchens, cellar cooling and lighting run through the day and into the evening. A battery carries the solar on past sunset.
Farm Shops and Food Producers
Cold rooms, chillers and processing equipment run all day. Every unit the panels cover is one you don't buy at business rates.
Rural Homes Off the Gas Grid
Homes on storage heaters or other electric heating have big bills to cut, and most rural houses have the roof space to do it.
Keeping the Power On at the End of the Line
Rural supplies run on long overhead lines, and when a storm brings one down, the properties at the far end can wait longest.
After Storm Arwen in November 2021, almost 4,000 homes in northern England and north-east Scotland were without power for more than a week.
A standard solar system switches off in a power cut, for safety. Batteries with a backup function can keep chosen circuits running, such as the fridge, freezer, lights and broadband, and larger systems can be designed around critical farm loads. If backup matters to you, we build it into the design from the start. See our battery storage systems.
How It Works
From Site Visit to Switch-On
We run the whole job, including the planning and grid applications most farms would rather not deal with.
1
Site Visit and Energy Review
We walk the site, look at every roof and field corner, and go through your bills or half-hourly data to see when you use power.
2
Design, Planning and Grid
We size the system, check permitted development and prepare any planning application. Larger systems need network operator approval before they connect, so we apply early.
3
Installation Around Your Routine
We plan the work so it doesn't clash with lambing or harvest, and we keep yards and machinery routes clear while we're on site.
4
Handover and Monitoring
You get the monitoring app, the certificates and a walk-through of the system. We keep an eye on performance after that.
Got Questions?
Farm and Rural Solar FAQs
What farmers and rural business owners ask us before they commit.
For roof panels, usually not. Solar on agricultural and commercial roofs is permitted development in most cases. Panels on a pitched roof can sit up to 0.2 metres proud of the slope, and on a flat roof up to 1 metre above it, kept at least 1 metre in from the edge. Systems over 50kW need prior approval from the council on appearance and glare. Listed buildings always need consent. We confirm where you stand before we quote.
Yes, and a ground-mounted array lets us face the panels due south at the best angle, clear of any shading. Anything bigger than a 9 square metre installation needs planning permission, which we prepare and submit for you. Inside a National Park or National Landscape, expect the planners to look closely at screening and how visible the array will be.
It depends on the building. Panels on the farmhouse count as a home installation, so they're zero-rated until 31 March 2027 and 5% after that. Panels on sheds, barns and other business buildings carry the standard 20% rate, which VAT-registered farms reclaim in the usual way.
Solar PV counts as plant and machinery, so farm businesses can usually claim capital allowances against the cost. How much depends on how your business is set up, so run it past your accountant before you commit. Our quotes are itemised to make that conversation easy.
Only if the system is designed for backup. Standard solar switches off in a power cut for safety. Batteries with a backup function can keep selected circuits going, and a larger system can be designed around critical loads such as milk cooling. Tell us what has to stay on and we'll size the battery around it.
Fitting a shed roof system takes a few days on site. The paperwork before it takes longer: planning checks, any application, and approval from the network operator for larger systems, which can run to several weeks. We start all of that as soon as you give us the go-ahead.
Book a Site Visit
We'll walk the farm with you, look at the roofs and the ground, and come back with a design, the figures and a clear answer on planning.
Arrange Your Visit