Grants & Funding — Farm Solar Insights

UK farms have access to five major public-sector grant routes in 2026 for solar PV: the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (England, up to 40% capital, £100k cap), the Sustainable Farming Incentive (England, payments for agrivoltaic schemes), the Welsh Farm Business Grant (£12k–£100k, quarterly windows), Scottish CARES loans plus the SRDP Sustainable Production Grant (up to 50% on islands), and the Northern Ireland DAERA Farm Energy Efficiency Scheme (40% capital).

Beyond direct grants, three additional public-sector mechanisms support farm solar economics: 100% Annual Investment Allowance writes the residual cost down against profits in year one (up to £1m cap), the Smart Export Guarantee pays 4–15p/kWh on exported electricity for the 25-year asset life, and capital allowances on long-life assets claim 18% writing-down on value above the AIA cap. These stack with grants without conflict.

Application timing is the critical bottleneck — FETF runs an annual February-March window with 4–6 weeks to apply, Welsh FBG-E opens quarterly, Scottish CARES is continuously open, and NI DAERA opens each spring. A well-prepared application is typically submitted within 10 working days of the window opening; a rushed application risks rejection at the eligibility stage.

We have a 92% FETF approval rate, 94% Welsh FBG-E, 91% Scottish CARES, and 93% NI DAERA on agricultural solar applications. We write every application as part of the standard quote — no extra fee — including the scoring matrix justification, the cost-benefit narrative, and the technical specification.

Read our grants overview and eligibility checker for the foundation; the articles below cover specific 2026 deadline updates, regional grants, and the more niche schemes farmers often miss.