How much do solar panels for farms cost?
Real UK costs by system size, sub-vertical, and financing route. Updated for 2026.
Cost ranges by sub-vertical
Dairy Farms
- Typical system
- 30–250 kW
- Project value
- £32,000–£225,000
- Payback
- 5.5 years
- Annual generation
- 27,000–230,000 kWh
Arable Farms
- Typical system
- 30–500 kW (rooftop) + ground mount potential to 5+ MW
- Project value
- £32,000–£500,000+
- Payback
- 6 years
- Annual generation
- 27,000–460,000+ kWh
Livestock Farms (Beef/Sheep/Pig/Poultry)
- Typical system
- 20–300 kW
- Project value
- £22,000–£270,000
- Payback
- 6 years
- Annual generation
- 18,000–275,000 kWh
Glasshouse / Horticulture
- Typical system
- 100 kW–5 MW
- Project value
- £90,000–£4m+
- Payback
- 5.5 years
- Annual generation
- 92,000–4.6m+ kWh
Agrivoltaic / Mixed Use
- Typical system
- 500 kW–10+ MW
- Project value
- £350,000–£8m+
- Payback
- 7 years
- Annual generation
- varies kWh
Equestrian Centres & Stables
- Typical system
- 20–150 kW
- Project value
- £22,000–£135,000
- Payback
- 7 years
- Annual generation
- 18,000–138,000 kWh
Cost questions
How much do solar panels for a farm cost in the UK?
Dairy and livestock parlour installs (30–250 kW): £32,000–£225,000. Arable rooftop installs (50–500 kW): £45,000–£500,000. Ground-mount agrivoltaic schemes (500 kW–10 MW): £350,000–£8m+. Cost per kW is typically £750–£1,000 for rooftop above 100 kW, £600–£800/kW for ground-mount above 500 kW.
What's the payback for a dairy farm solar install?
5–6 years. Dairy farms have outstanding self-consumption (24/7 milk cooling, parlour pumps, lighting) — often 90%+ of generation is consumed on site. Combined with 100% AIA tax relief, dairy installs sit alongside cold-chain warehouses as the fastest-payback segment in UK commercial solar.