Cost & Finance — Farm Solar Insights

Government data is the most reliable guide to farm solar costs: DESNZ's 2025/26 statistics put the median installed cost of a 10–50 kW solar system at about £1,262 per kW (MCS-certified installations in Great Britain, including VAT where applicable, excluding batteries), so a 30 kW farm roof system is roughly £37,900. There is no official series above 50 kW, so larger arrays are priced from itemised quotes. Payback depends on the cost, how much of the output the farm uses itself and the grid price — the worked example on our farm solar cost page shows the maths.

This category covers farm solar economics: cost by system size, capital allowances, the main finance routes (capital purchase, asset finance and power purchase agreements), lease income from ground-mounted solar, and how self-consumption and export rates drive the return.

On tax, solar panels are special rate expenditure: the £1m Annual Investment Allowance lets most farm businesses deduct the full cost in the year of purchase, and companies can instead claim the 50% first-year allowance on new special-rate assets. Full expensing does not apply. Asset finance spreads the cost; a PPA avoids the capital outlay but shares the saving with the investor.

See our farm solar cost guide, the side-by-side finance comparison and the PPA page, then the articles below for sector-specific questions.