The UK now has roughly 15 GW of installed solar PV capacity across some 1.5 million installations — from rooftop residential through to multi-hundred-megawatt ground-mount arrays. The 10 biggest UK solar farms together generate around 522 MW — enough to power 130,000 average homes — and are concentrated in the South West, East Midlands and Wales. Heading into 2028 the National Grid ESO projects UK solar capacity to reach 43 GW, a 23.5% compound annual growth rate driven by the Government's 70 GW by 2035 target.
The 10 biggest solar farms in the UK
| Rank | Solar farm | Location | Capacity | Acres | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Shotwick Solar Park | Flintshire, Wales | 72.2 MW | 250 | 2016 |
| #2 | Lyneham Solar Farm | Bradenstoke, Wiltshire, England | 69.8 MW | 213 | 2014 |
| #3 | Wroughton Airfield (Swindon Solar Park) | Swindon, Wiltshire, England | 50.0 MW | 165 | 2017 |
| #4 | Scurf Dyke Solar Farm | Hutton Cranswick, East Riding of Yorkshire | 50.0 MW | 200 | 2015 |
| #5 | West Raynham Solar Farm | West Raynham, Norfolk, England | 49.8 MW | 225 | 2014 |
| #6 | Owl's Hatch Solar Park | Herne Bay, Kent, England | 49.9 MW | 200 | 2015 |
| #7 | Llanwern Solar Farm | Newport, South Wales | 49.9 MW | 260 | 2014 |
| #8 | South Lowfield Solar Farm | Kirkby Fleetham, North Yorkshire | 49.9 MW | 231 | 2015 |
| #9 | Lark's Green Solar Farm | South Gloucestershire, England | 49.9 MW | 106 | 2023 |
| #10 | The Grange Solar Farm | Newark, Nottinghamshire, England | 49.9 MW | 207 | 2016 |
Why former airfields dominate the top 10
Three of the top 10 (Lyneham, Wroughton, West Raynham) sit on former RAF airfields. Three more (Llanwern, Shotwick, Larks Green) are on brownfield ex-industrial sites. The reason is simple: those sites are flat, large, with existing grid infrastructure, and they sidestep the politically sensitive "best and most versatile" agricultural land debate that has slowed greenfield approvals since 2023.
Regional breakdown of UK solar capacity (2026)
| Region | Installed | % of UK | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| South West England | 3,020 MW | 20.0% | Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Wiltshire — highest UK irradiance plus former-airfield ground-mount belt |
| East of England | 2,800 MW | 18.5% | Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire — broad flat arable land, low planning constraint |
| South East England | 2,500 MW | 16.5% | Kent, Surrey, Sussex — highest population pressure plus strong installed base |
| East Midlands | 1,420 MW | 9.4% | Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire — arable belt, fewer AONBs |
| West Midlands | 1,150 MW | 7.6% | Worcestershire, Shropshire, Warwickshire — mixed farming with growing share |
| Yorkshire & Humber | 1,080 MW | 7.2% | East Riding leads; bigger projects further north |
| Wales | 760 MW | 5.0% | Home to UK #1 (Shotwick) and #7 (Llanwern) but flatter installed base elsewhere |
| North West | 650 MW | 4.3% | Lancashire, Cheshire — growth-stage market for agricultural solar |
| Scotland | 420 MW | 2.8% | Solar plays second fiddle to onshore wind; growing farm-scale interest |
| North East | 180 MW | 1.2% | County Durham, Northumberland — smaller installed base; AMP Renewables (NE installer) active |
| Northern Ireland | 85 MW | 0.6% | Bann Road (45.7 MWp) largest; DAERA grant-supported growth |
Solar farms vs farm rooftop PV — different scales, different economics
The 10 solar farms above are commercial energy generation projects on land leased by farmers to developers. Typical lease income: £800–£1,200 per acre per year, indexed to inflation, over 25–40 year leases. That's a stable income stream materially exceeding most arable margins, but it removes the land from food production for the lease term.
By contrast, farm rooftop PV — the systems we install on your barn, parlour, packhouse and shed roofs — is owner-operated solar that powers your operation directly. Typical scale: 20–500 kWp on a single farm, payback inside 2 years post-FETF, lifetime savings £200k–£1.5m on a 25-year asset. You keep ownership; you keep the savings; you keep using your land for farming.
The solar farm controversy — and the agrivoltaic answer
Government policy on large solar farms tightened in 2024-2025 around concerns about food security and "best and most versatile" Grade 1-3a agricultural land. The counter-argument from the solar industry: solar farms cover less than 0.1% of UK land, projected to reach 0.3% by 2030, and most are sited on Grade 3b agricultural land with marginal cropping productivity. Agrivoltaics — sheep grazing under elevated panels, or pollinator-friendly wildflower ground cover — preserves dual land use and stacks with Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) payments.
UK solar capacity outlook 2026–2030
- 📈 Current installed (2026): 15 GW across 1.5M+ installations
- 🎯 UK 2030 target: 40 GW (Government 70 GW by 2035 strategy)
- 📊 National Grid ESO 2028 forecast: 43 GW at 23.5% CAGR
- 🚜 Farm rooftop share growing: from 8% to projected 18% of new solar capacity by 2030
- 🐑 Agrivoltaic acreage: 8,500 hectares 2026 → projected 32,000 ha by 2030
- 🔋 Co-located battery: 4 GW operational, projected 12 GW by 2030