UK farmers searching for an agricultural solar installer face the same recurring problem: most "solar companies" treat farm work as a sideline. They quote off Google Earth measurements, miss asbestos, underestimate DNO timelines, forget about FETF, and walk away after commissioning. A serious agricultural solar installer is a different animal — half SEIA-aligned electrical contractor, half farm consultant, with sector-specific patterns built over hundreds of installations.
Six factors that separate agricultural specialists from generalists
1. Track record of farm-specific installations
Ask for twenty named farm references in the last three years. A specialist will rattle off dairies, poultry units, arable estates and mixed holdings by name. A generalist will provide one or two and a long list of residential and commercial roofs. We have completed 1,200+ farm-specific installations across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland since 2010 and can provide any number of named references in your region or sector.
2. Half-hourly meter data analysis built into every quote
A serious quote starts with twelve months of half-hourly meter data, not estimated annual consumption. Without that, sizing is a guess and the system either over-exports (low return) or under-generates (lost savings). We routinely model 35,040 half-hourly data points per farm against panel output curves to find the optimal system size and the right battery pairing — typically within 5% of subsequent first-year actuals.
3. FETF, FBG, CARES and DAERA application competence
UK farm solar grants are written by Defra, Welsh Government, Scottish Government and DAERA each in their own format with their own scoring criteria. Generalists usually pass grant paperwork to the farmer, expecting them to handle it. We write every grant application end-to-end. 92% FETF approval rate, 94% Welsh FBG-E, 91% Scottish CARES, 93% NI DAERA on agricultural applications we have submitted.
4. Asbestos cement roof assessment as standard
Around 18% of UK farm barn roofs are still asbestos cement from the 1960s-1980s building boom. Removing and replacing it must happen before solar install — generalists either miss it entirely (and quote a solar installation onto an unsafe roof) or refuse the job. A specialist quotes the combined re-roof plus PV business case, integrates licensed asbestos contractors, and presents a single fixed-price proposal that often qualifies for tax relief on both elements.
5. DNO knowledge by region — not just generic "G99"
The six UK DNOs (UKPN, NGED, SSEN, SPEN, Northern Powergrid, NIE Networks) each have different scoring methods, response times and capacity constraints. A specialist who works one region heavily knows which substations are constrained, which engineers respond fastest, and which projects need budget enquiry pre-quote. Our DNO relationships have shaved 4-8 weeks off typical G99 timescales across all six operators.
6. Tenancy structure expertise — FBT, AHA, tripartite PPA
About 30% of UK farms are tenanted. Tenant solar requires a structured agreement between landlord, tenant and (optionally) PPA investor. Most generalists won't touch tenant work because they don't understand the FBT and AHA legal frameworks. A specialist drafts the consent letter, handles the landlord conversation, and either structures the install around the tenancy expiry, the tripartite PPA, or the landlord-funded scheme. We've delivered over 150 tenant solar installs across institutional estates including Crown Estate, Church Commissioners and major private landed estates.
12 questions to ask any farm solar installer before signing
- 1. How many agricultural installations have you completed in the last three years? Can you provide twenty named references?
- 2. Do you analyse half-hourly meter data as part of every quote, or estimate from annual consumption?
- 3. What is your approval rate on FETF / Welsh FBG / Scottish CARES / DAERA applications? Will you write the application or do I have to?
- 4. Will you assess asbestos cement roofing before install? Do you coordinate licensed removal?
- 5. Which DNOs have you worked with most? What is your average G99 turnaround time?
- 6. Are you MCS-certified for the specific commercial scale of my system (not just residential MCS)?
- 7. Do you carry an IWA insurance-backed workmanship warranty, or just your own company warranty?
- 8. What is your panel and inverter warranty? Are you a tier-1 manufacturer's authorised installer?
- 9. Do you subcontract installation, or use directly-employed teams?
- 10. Will the proposal model PPA, asset finance and capital purchase side-by-side, or only one route?
- 11. Is structural roof survey included or extra? Who carries the structural design liability after install?
- 12. Will you provide annual maintenance and performance monitoring? At what cost?
UK accreditations that actually matter
| Accreditation | What it means | Why it matters for farm work |
|---|---|---|
| MCS | Microgeneration Certification Scheme | Required for SEG export tariff eligibility. Mandatory for grant funding. |
| NICEIC | Approved electrical contractor | Required for DNO G99 sign-off and for commercial installations over 16A/phase. |
| RECC | Renewable Energy Consumer Code | Industry code for consumer protection on residential/SME PV. Trustmark-aligned. |
| TrustMark | Government-endorsed quality scheme | Required for Green Homes Grant eligibility and government-funded retrofits. |
| IWA-backed warranty | Insurance-Backed Workmanship Warranty | Protects you for 10 years if the installer goes out of business. Critical on £100k+ jobs. |
| ISO 9001 / 14001 / 45001 | Quality, environmental, H&S management | Standard expected by institutional landlords and supermarket-supplier farms. |
| SafeContractor / CHAS / SMAS | H&S pre-qualification | Required for work on farms inside supply chains of major estates and corporate buyers. |
Regional installer coverage — England, Wales, Scotland, NI
We deploy from five regional hubs covering every UK postcode:
- South West & Wales hub — Bristol-based. Covers Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and all of Wales.
- Midlands hub — Birmingham/Coventry. Covers Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire.
- North & Yorkshire hub — Leeds. Covers Yorkshire, Lancashire, Cumbria, Cheshire, Northumberland, Durham.
- South East & East hub — Maidstone. Covers Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Hampshire, Berkshire.
- Scotland & NI hub — Edinburgh + Belfast partner. Covers all of Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Our six-stage farm install methodology
- Stage 1: Desk feasibility (Day 1-3) — half-hourly meter analysis, generation forecast, FETF eligibility, indicative cost band
- Stage 2: Site survey (Week 2-3) — structural, electrical, asbestos identification, shading study
- Stage 3: Fixed-price proposal (Week 3-4) — full design pack, three finance routes modelled, FETF/AIA economics
- Stage 4: Order + paperwork (Week 4-14) — DNO G99 application, FETF submission, planning where required
- Stage 5: Installation (Week 14-22) — directly employed teams, scaffold, install, weatherproofing, AC/DC wiring
- Stage 6: Commission + handover (Week 22-24) — DNO sign-off, MCS certificate, SEG registration, monitoring, training