Where your farm is changes three things about solar: how much a roof generates, what installation tends to cost, and which planning rules apply. It changes less than people expect. On PVGIS a south-facing 30° roof ranges from about 803 kWh per kWp a year near Inverness to 1,164 near Chichester — and DESNZ's regional mean prices for 10–50 kW systems in 2025/26 ran from £1,234 per kW (North East) to £1,409 (South East). A farm's own daytime demand usually matters more than its postcode.
The regions side by side
| Regional guide | Solar installed, July 2026 | Mean price, 10–50 kW (per kW, 2025/26) | 30° roof yield (kWh/kWp/yr) | Rooftop permitted development |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South West | 4,579 MW | £1,369 | Truro 1,059, Exeter 1,045 | England — Class J |
| South East and London | 3,809 + 421 MW | £1,409 / £1,247 | Chichester 1,164, Canterbury 1,089, Oxford 1,009 | England — Class J |
| East of England | 3,576 MW | £1,306 | Norwich 1,022, Peterborough 1,026 | England — Class J |
| Midlands | 1,897 + 2,653 MW | £1,316 / £1,330 | Shrewsbury 963, Newark-on-Trent 994 | England — Class J |
| North West | 1,070 MW | £1,347 | Carlisle 905, Lancaster 908 | England — Class J |
| North of England | 1,291 + 505 MW | £1,347 / £1,234 | York 960, Hexham 912 | England — Class J |
| Wales | 1,774 MW | £1,362 | Carmarthen 980, Welshpool 931 | Wales — Part 43, no kW cap |
| Scotland | 919 MW | £1,387 | Dumfries 899, Aberdeen 877, Inverness 803, Kirkwall 846 | Scotland — Class 6J, no kW cap |
| Northern Ireland | 418 MW | No DESNZ data (GB only) | Armagh 895, Coleraine 877 | NI — Part 37, up to 50 kW |
Sources: DESNZ Solar photovoltaics deployment (July 2026, Table 4); DESNZ Solar PV cost data 2025/26 (Great Britain only — regions with two figures show each DESNZ region); PVGIS v5.3, queried 26–27 September 2026; the permitted development orders of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
South West has the most installed solar of any region (4,579 MW). The UK total at the end of July 2026 was 22,992 MW.
Planning differs by nation
Rooftop solar on a farm building is permitted development in all four nations, but the limits differ. England's Class J and Scotland's Class 6J have no capacity cap; England adds a prior-approval step on design and glare above 50 kW. Wales's Part 43 has no capacity cap and no prior approval. Northern Ireland's Part 37 covers microgeneration only — up to 50 kW — so a larger roof system there needs planning permission. Each regional guide sets out the detail, and planning permission for farm solar covers England in full.
Funding by nation
No grant for solar panels on farms is open in any UK nation as of September 2026. England's Improving Farm Productivity grant has closed; Scotland's Future Farming Investment Scheme and Northern Ireland's Sustainable Farming Investment Scheme have not listed solar panels; and Wales offers a 3% loan through the Development Bank of Wales rather than a grant. Capital allowances apply everywhere. The dated, sourced detail is on our farm solar grants page, and our guide to capital allowances for farm solar explains the tax relief.
Choose your region
- Farm solar in the South West — Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire.
- Farm solar in the South East — Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and the Home Counties.
- Farm solar in the East of England — Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Essex and Lincolnshire.
- Farm solar in the Midlands — both the West and East Midlands.
- Farm solar in the North West — Cumbria, Lancashire and Cheshire.
- Farm solar in the North of England — Yorkshire, Durham and Northumberland.
- Farm solar in Wales — including the 3% Sustainable Agriculture Loan Scheme.
- Farm solar in Scotland — Class 6J permitted development and the SSEN / SP Energy Networks grid.
- Farm solar in Northern Ireland — the 50 kW permitted-development limit and NIE Networks.
For county-level pages, see all county guides.