Farm Solar Quotes: What 'Supply and Fit' Really Includes
Published by SEO Dons · Last reviewed September 2026
Every farm solar quote leads with the same two lines: the system size in kWp and a “supply and fit” price. Those two numbers are the ones farmers compare — and they are the two numbers least likely to decide what the project actually costs. The expensive surprises live in what “supply and fit” quietly excludes, and no installer’s website will list them for you, because every party to the quote has a reason not to.
This guide is that list. It is written from the buyer’s side of the table: the items that turn, say, a £48,000 quote into a £61,000 project, the questions that force each one into the open, and the small number of genuine go/no-go checks that should happen before anyone prices anything.
Why nobody publishes this
Look at who writes about farm solar quotes online: installers, panel distributors, finance brokers and lead-generation sites. All four are a party to the transaction. An installer who itemises scaffold, asbestos surveys and structural strengthening in their marketing makes their headline price look worse than the competitor who leaves them as “site-specific extras”. So the whole market converges on the same quiet convention — a clean supply-and-fit number up front, and the rest surfacing after the site survey, when you are already invested in that installer.
None of this means the installer is dishonest. It means the quote structure rewards omission, and the only defence is knowing what to ask for.
The anatomy of a real farm solar project cost
A rooftop agricultural installation has up to eight cost layers. A typical “supply and fit” quote firmly covers the first three or four.
| Layer | Usually in the quote? | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Panels, inverters, mounting | Yes | Brand, model and datasheet, not just “Tier 1” |
| Electrical works & commissioning | Yes | Includes generation meter and export metering? |
| Labour | Yes | Whose labour — their staff or subcontractors? |
| Scaffold / access | Often excluded | A barn-length scaffold run can be a five-figure item |
| Asbestos survey & handling | Almost always excluded | See the go/no-go section below |
| Structural (purlin) assessment & strengthening | Almost always excluded | Steel or timber purlins on older sheds may need work before they carry panels |
| DNO application & connection works | Frequently excluded | Application fees, witness testing, and any network reinforcement |
| Ongoing O&M, insurance, monitoring | Never | Priced separately — ask for year-1 and year-5 figures |
The right response to a low headline price is not suspicion — it is a written scope. Ask every bidder the same question: “Is your price fixed for scaffold, structural works, asbestos handling and all DNO costs, and if not, what is your allowance for each?” An installer who answers that in writing is bidding the same project you are buying. One who cannot is bidding a different, smaller one.
The DNO layer: G98, G99 and why the application matters
Any grid-connected system needs the Distribution Network Operator’s (DNO’s) permission to connect. The threshold that matters is 16 amps per phase — about 3.68 kW per phase. At or below that, the installer simply notifies the DNO after commissioning under G98. Almost every farm-scale system is above it, which means a G99 application before installation: forms, single-line diagrams, protection settings, sometimes witness testing on the day.
Three things follow for your quote:
- Ask who submits the G99 application and when. It should go in early — approval can take weeks, and on a constrained rural network the DNO’s answer can reshape the project.
- Ask what happens if the DNO requires network reinforcement. On some rural feeders the DNO will cap your export or quote reinforcement charges. A good installer flags this risk at desk-study stage, before you commit.
- An export limit is not a dealbreaker — it changes the design toward self-consumption, which is where farm solar earns most anyway. Exported surplus earns Smart Export Guarantee rates of roughly 4–12p/kWh (the best widely available rates sit around 12p as of 2026), while every self-consumed kWh avoids buying grid power at several times that.
Asbestos: the genuine go/no-go
A large share of UK farm buildings put up before 2000 carry asbestos cement roof sheets. Panels cannot simply be bolted through them: drilling or fixing into asbestos cement is controlled work under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 — non-licensed, but requiring trained operatives, dust suppression and respiratory protection — and most MCS installers will not fix panels to an asbestos roof at all.
That leaves three honest paths, and your quote should say which one it assumes:
- A different roof. Most farms have more than one building; the newest steel-sheet shed is usually the best solar roof anyway.
- Over-sheeting or replacement first. Stripping asbestos and re-sheeting is a real cost — but it is also the point where many farms would re-roof regardless, and the new roof then carries a 25-year asset.
- Ground-mount instead. If roofs are ruled out, a small ground array beside the yard avoids the problem entirely.
The check itself is cheap: if you do not already hold an asbestos survey for the building, get one before quotes are compared, not after a contract is signed. It is one of the most common reasons farm solar projects die between quote and installation.
Tenant farmers: consent comes before quotes
If you farm under an Agricultural Holdings Act tenancy or a farm business tenancy, the roof is usually the landlord’s fixture, not yours. Fitting solar without written landlord consent risks the improvement being treated as the landlord’s at the end of the term — or worse, a breach. The conversation to have before any installer visits: who owns the system, who benefits from the electricity, what happens at tenancy end, and whether the landlord will contribute. Some landlords will fund the roof-side works in exchange for a rent adjustment; that changes the whole project appraisal.
Grants and tax relief: the one-paragraph honest version
The grant picture is devolved and narrower than sales pages suggest. In England, the route is the Improving Farm Productivity strand of the Farming Investment Fund, contributing around 25% — when a funding round is open. In Wales, the Farm Business Grant – Efficiency strand has offered 40% on eligible investments within its £12,000–£100,000 project window, again round-dependent. Scotland and Northern Ireland run their own schemes (CARES and DAERA programmes respectively) with different rules. No UK nation hands out free farm solar.
On tax: commercial solar is special-rate plant for capital allowances. Up to £1 million of qualifying spend, the Annual Investment Allowance gives 100% first-year relief — which covers almost every rooftop farm project. Above £1 million, the relief is the 50% first-year allowance, not 100%: solar does not qualify for full expensing. If a quote’s payback maths silently assumes 100% relief on a seven-figure project, the maths is wrong.
The five questions that sort real quotes from headline prices
- Is your price fixed for scaffold, structural strengthening, asbestos handling and all DNO costs — and if not, what is the written allowance for each?
- Who submits the G99 application, when, and what is your plan if the DNO limits export?
- Which exact panel and inverter models are priced, and what are the product and workmanship warranty terms in writing?
- What does year-1 and year-5 O&M cost, and who attends a fault?
- Have you priced this from a site visit, or from a desktop assumption?
Three quotes answered on those five points are genuinely comparable. Three supply-and-fit headline prices are not.
Where to go next
For how to choose between the installers themselves — specialisms, regional depth, accreditation checks — see our guide to agricultural solar installers in the UK. For what the systems themselves cost by size, the agricultural solar panel cost guide has 2026 per-kWp figures, and the farm solar grants page tracks which funding rounds are actually open.