The examples below are modelled scenarios, not named client installs — built from UK yield data (PVGIS, roughly 900-950 kWh per kWp a year) and typical load profiles for each farm type. The value tile is an upper bound: output times 25p/kWh, as if every unit were used on the farm; exported units earn far less (see the Smart Export Guarantee rates on our cost page). For costs, see the DESNZ median for 10-50 kW on the cost page and compare written quotes.
Farm Solar Case Studies
Six modelled sizing examples: system size, annual generation, and the most that output could be worth. Capital cost and payback are left out because no official cost series exists above 50 kW — get quotes.
WORKED EXAMPLE 1
Worked example — 180-cow Cheshire dairy
Modelled scenario: a 180-cow Friesian-Holstein herd milked twice daily, with bulk tank cooling and parlour vacuum pumps the heaviest loads. Based on a 95kWp parlour-roof system with a 40kWh LiFePO4 battery.
Get a quote like this95 kWp
System size
£22,000
Upper bound at 25p/kWh
88,000
kWh / year (PVGIS band)
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. No grant is assumed: the Improving Farm Productivity grant has closed.
Get a quote like this130 kWp
System size
£29,200
Upper bound at 25p/kWh
117,000
kWh / year (PVGIS band)
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
£59,200
Upper bound at 25p/kWh
237,000
kWh / year (PVGIS band)
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
£41,000
Upper bound at 25p/kWh
164,000
kWh / year (PVGIS band)
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
£49,500
Upper bound at 25p/kWh
198,000
kWh / year (PVGIS band)
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
£27,000
Upper bound at 25p/kWh
108,000
kWh / year (PVGIS band)
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