Northern Ireland farm schemes and solar panels, scheme by scheme
Reviewed 28 October 2026 against the DAERA scheme pages listed under Sources. The table says what each scheme is, whether it is open, and whether solar panels are an eligible item.
| Scheme | Status | What it offers | Solar panels? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sustainable Farming Investment Scheme (DAERA) | Round 1 ran 21 July to 3 September 2026 and is closed; DAERA says more rounds are planned over the next three to four years | 40% of eligible costs, up to £25,000 per business | Solar panels were not on the round 1 item list |
| Farm Business Improvement Scheme – Capital (DAERA) | Closed since 2022 | Capital grants (historic) | No — renewable energy projects were excluded |
| Rural Business Development Grant Scheme (DAERA) | Runs in windows for rural micro-businesses | Small capital grants | Solar panels are excluded |
| Northern Ireland Renewables Obligation (NIRO) | Closed to new generation | Certificates for accredited generators (legacy) | Not available for a new farm array |
| Smart Export Guarantee | Great Britain only | Supplier export payments (GB) | Northern Ireland has no SEG equivalent |
The Sustainable Farming Investment Scheme is the one to watch. DAERA says further rounds are planned over the next three to four years, and each round publishes its own item list. If solar panels appear on a future list, the scheme’s shape — 40% of eligible costs up to £25,000 per business — would cover a meaningful share of a 20–40 kW roof array. Until a list says so, do not plan a project around it.
Which funding routes apply to your farm? A two-minute check
No government grant for solar panels on farms is open in any UK nation in 2026, but tax relief, a Welsh loan and export payments still are. Answer seven questions and the routes that fit your farm appear below. Add your details if you want them talked through: we reply by email or phone, no obligation.
How your enquiry is handled
SolarPanelsForFarms.uk is an independent guide published by SEO Dons Ltd, not an installer. We reply by email or phone. We never sell or auction your details, and we do not pass them on without your say-so. The routes above are a summary of the schemes on this page, not tax advice: check the current rules with your accountant and the scheme's own guidance before you commit.
The support that does apply: capital allowances
Solar panels are special rate plant for capital allowances. The £1m Annual Investment Allowance lets most farm businesses deduct the whole installation cost from taxable profits in the year of purchase; a partnership with a company as a member cannot claim it. Companies can instead claim the 50% first-year allowance on new and unused special-rate assets, with the rest written down at 6% a year. Full expensing does not apply to solar. These are UK-wide reliefs claimed through the tax return, not applications, so they do not depend on a DAERA window. Our capital allowances guide sets out the sections and the arithmetic; take your accountant’s advice on timing against the farm’s profits.
No export payment, so size to the load
Northern Ireland has no equivalent of Great Britain’s Smart Export Guarantee, and the NI Renewables Obligation is closed to new generation. Some suppliers offer their own export arrangements; ask yours what it pays before you count on anything. The practical consequence is that a Northern Ireland farm array earns its return almost entirely from the electricity the farm uses itself, so the right size comes from twelve months of half-hourly meter data and the daytime floor of the load — milk cooling and parlour vacuum pumps, poultry ventilation and lighting, grain drying — not from the size of the roof. Our cost ladder runs the sums for 30, 50, 100 and 250 kW with the assumptions stated.
What a farm roof generates here
PVGIS, the European Commission’s solar model, puts a south-facing 30° roof near Coleraine at about 116 kWh per kWp in June and 18 in December; near Armagh the figures are 114 and 22. Over a year that lands in the region of 850–950 kWh per kWp, a little below the south of England and concentrated between April and September, which suits dairies, poultry houses and packhouses whose loads run through the summer day. On cost, the only official series is DESNZ’s Great Britain median of £1,262 per kW for 10–50 kW systems; Northern Ireland is not in that series, so treat it as a reference and compare itemised quotes.
Planning: the 50 kW permitted-development limit
Northern Ireland’s rules sit in the Planning (General Permitted Development) Order (Northern Ireland) 2015, Part 37, which permits solar PV on a building other than a dwelling as microgeneration — and the order defines microgeneration as plant with an electrical capacity of no more than 50 kW. A larger rooftop system needs planning permission from your council. Within Part 37, panels must not project more than 20 cm beyond a roof slope that faces onto and is visible from a road; on a flat roof they must not sit more than 2 m above the highest part or within 2 m of the edge. Listed buildings and conservation areas carry their own limits. This is different from England’s Class J, which has no capacity cap but needs prior approval above 50 kW — see our planning guide.
Grid connection with NIE Networks
NIE Networks runs the distribution network and uses its own versions of the connection standards. Microgeneration up to 3.68 kW single-phase or 11.04 kW three-phase connects under G98/NI; anything larger goes through G99/NI. Since 1 May 2026 a G99/NI fast track has covered installations up to 60 A per phase with export held to 16 A per phase, but it is not fit-and-inform: approval must be granted before installation begins. Most farm systems use the full G99/NI process, and connection times depend on local network capacity, so ask NIE Networks for its current timescales before you fix a date around lambing, harvest or a flock cycle.
How to be ready if a scheme opens
- ✓ Sign up for DAERA’s scheme announcements and read each Sustainable Farming Investment Scheme item list the day it is published; the first round’s window was six weeks.
- ✓ Have twelve months of half-hourly meter data and a roof survey ready, so a quote can be produced inside a window.
- ✓ Hold two or three itemised written quotes that separate panels, inverters, mounting, electrical work, the NIE Networks application and any roof work.
- ✓ Check the planning position first: at or below 50 kW on an existing building the array is usually permitted development; above it, budget the time for a planning application.
- ✓ Ask your accountant how the Annual Investment Allowance interacts with any grant, because a grant reduces the cost you can claim on.
By county
Our county guides cover the local farming mix, yields and grid position: County Antrim, County Down, County Armagh and County Tyrone, with the nation overview on our Northern Ireland farm solar page and the funding picture for every UK nation on farm solar grants.
Questions about solar grants in Northern Ireland
Are there grants for solar panels in Northern Ireland for farms?
Not as of October 2026. DAERA’s Sustainable Farming Investment Scheme (40% of eligible costs, up to £25,000) ran its first round from 21 July to 3 September 2026 and its item list did not include solar panels. The Farm Business Improvement Scheme – Capital closed in 2022 and excluded renewable energy, and the Rural Business Development Grant Scheme excludes solar panels. More SFIS rounds are planned, so check each new item list when it is published.
What support does still apply to farm solar in Northern Ireland?
Tax relief. Solar panels are special rate plant, and the £1m Annual Investment Allowance lets most farm businesses deduct the full cost from taxable profits in the year of purchase; companies can instead claim the 50% first-year allowance on new special-rate assets. Full expensing does not apply to solar. There is no export payment scheme in Northern Ireland, so the value of the system is the electricity the farm uses itself.
Can I get paid for electricity I export in Northern Ireland?
There is no Smart Export Guarantee in Northern Ireland and the NI Renewables Obligation is closed to new generation. Some suppliers offer their own export arrangements; ask your supplier what it will pay, and size the array to the farm’s own daytime demand rather than to the roof.
Do farm solar panels need planning permission in Northern Ireland?
Rooftop solar on a farm building is permitted development under Part 37 of the Planning (General Permitted Development) Order (Northern Ireland) 2015 only as microgeneration, which the order defines as plant with an electrical capacity of no more than 50 kW. A larger rooftop system, and any ground-mounted array beyond the small permitted limits, needs planning permission from your council.
How do I connect a farm solar system to the grid in Northern Ireland?
NIE Networks runs the distribution network and uses its own versions of the connection standards. Systems up to 3.68 kW single-phase or 11.04 kW three-phase connect under G98/NI; anything larger needs a G99/NI application. Since 1 May 2026 a G99/NI fast track has covered installations up to 60 A per phase with export held to 16 A per phase, but approval must be granted before installation begins.
How much does a farm roof generate in Northern Ireland?
PVGIS puts a south-facing 30° roof near Coleraine at about 116 kWh per kWp in June and 18 in December, and near Armagh at 114 and 22. Across a year that is in the region of 850–950 kWh per kWp, so a 50 kW array produces roughly 42,000–47,000 kWh, most of it between April and September.
Sources
- daera-ni.gov.uk — Sustainable Farming Investment Scheme page (round 1 closed; read 28 October 2026), scheme announcement (7 July 2026) and round 1 item list; FBIS – Capital ineligible items and FAQs; Rural Business Development Grant Scheme guidance.
- economy-ni.gov.uk — Northern Ireland Renewables Obligation (closed to new generation).
- Ofgem — Smart Export Guarantee guidance (a Great Britain scheme).
- legislation.gov.uk — Planning (General Permitted Development) Order (Northern Ireland) 2015, Part 37; Capital Allowances Act 2001, sections 45S, 51A and 104A.
- NIE Networks — G98/NI and G99/NI connection standards and the G99/NI fast track (from 1 May 2026).
- PVGIS v5.3 (European Commission JRC) — monthly output near Coleraine and Armagh. DESNZ — Solar PV cost data 2025/26 (Great Britain).
Figures last verified 28 October 2026. Cite this page as: SolarPanelsForFarms.uk (SEO Dons Ltd), “Grants for Solar Panels in Northern Ireland: Farms 2026”, https://solarpanelsforfarms.uk/northern-ireland-farm-solar-grants/.