The examples below are modelled scenarios, not named client installs — built from published 2026 install costs, UK yield data and typical load profiles for each farm type, and last reviewed July 2026. Use the one closest to your farm as the benchmark any installer quote should stand up against.
Farm Solar Case Studies
Six modelled worked examples with full numbers — system sizes, capital cost, savings and payback built from sourced 2026 data. Pick the one closest to your farm type for a realistic benchmark.
WORKED EXAMPLE 1
Worked example — 200-head Cheshire dairy
Modelled scenario: a 180-cow Friesian-Holstein herd milked twice daily, pre-solar electricity spend around £21,400/yr, with bulk tank cooling and parlour vacuum pumps the heaviest loads. Based on a 95kWp parlour-roof system with a 40kWh LiFePO4 battery at 2026 install costs.
Get a quote like this95 kWp
System size
~£15,000
Modelled annual saving
~4 yr
Simple payback
88,000
kWh / year
WORKED EXAMPLE 2
Worked example — 16,000-bird free-range poultry unit
Modelled scenario: three free-range laying sheds plus packing room, with 24/7 ventilation and automated feeding the dominant loads. Based on 130kWp split across two sheds (75kWp + 55kWp) with a 50kWh battery for overnight fan power, assuming a 25% Improving Farm Productivity grant on eligible capital.
Get a quote like this130 kWp
System size
~£32,000
Modelled annual saving
~2 yr
With grant + AIA payback
117,000
kWh / year
WORKED EXAMPLE 3
Worked example — 1,200-acre arable estate, East Lothian
Modelled scenario: a grain drying and storage operation across multiple buildings, peak loads August–October during harvest. Based on a 250kWp hybrid (200kWp roof + 50kWp ground-mount) with a 215kWh battery — sized to offset drying-season demand and export the surplus under SEG.
Get a quote like this250 kWp
Hybrid system
~£38,000
Modelled annual saving
~4 yr
Simple payback
237,000
kWh / year
WORKED EXAMPLE 4
Worked example — 4-hectare soft fruit operation, Herefordshire
Modelled scenario: a strawberry, raspberry and blackcurrant grower supplying major retailers, with pack-house pre-cooling, polytunnel ventilation and fertigation pumps. Based on a 180kWp split-roof system with an 80kWh battery — the kind of install that also feeds retailer Scope 3 reporting requirements.
Get a quote like this180 kWp
System size
~£40,000
Modelled annual saving
~3 yr
Simple payback
164,000
kWh / year
WORKED EXAMPLE 5
Worked example — 32,000-bird broiler unit, Lincolnshire
Modelled scenario: two 16,000-bird broiler houses with automated climate control, continuous 24/7 ventilation plus winter heating. Based on 220kWp across both shed roofs — broiler-scale baseload self-consumption produces some of the fastest paybacks of any UK farm type.
Get a quote like this220 kWp
System size
~£55,000
Modelled annual saving
~2 yr
With grant + AIA payback
198,000
kWh / year
WORKED EXAMPLE 6
Worked example — 800-acre mixed Somerset Levels farm
Modelled scenario: a dairy + beef + arable enterprise across the Somerset Levels, with buildings ranging from a 1970s steel-frame parlour to modern grain stores. Based on 120kWp of roof-mount plus a 60kWh battery spread across the strongest roofs.
Get a quote like this120 kWp
System size
~£28,000
Modelled annual saving
~3 yr
Simple payback
108,000
kWh / year
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