North of England farm solar
Yorkshire, Teesside, Northumberland and County Durham host some of the UK's largest livestock, dairy and mixed estates. Northern Powergrid covers most of the region. Irradiance is lower than the south, but longer daylight in summer and lower panel temperatures often offset the difference — delivering strong commercial returns.
Farming landscape across North of England
North Yorkshire dairy and beef on improved upland pasture, livestock farming across the North York Moors, Durham and Northumberland sheep on open uplands, North Yorkshire and East Riding arable on richer lowlands. Yorkshire pig production concentrated around the Vale of York.
Grants and funding routes
FETF. SFI Wetland Habitats valuable for Levels and Carrs. Yorkshire Agricultural Society and similar bodies provide additional advisory support.
Read the full UK farm solar grants overview and the 2026 grant application calendar for deadline-by-deadline planning.
Planning and protected landscapes
North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales National Parks dominate the central region. Howardian Hills AONB. Most farm buildings outside the National Parks have full permitted development. National Park installations need full planning with landscape impact.
Most North of England rooftop installations on existing agricultural buildings qualify as permitted development under Class A or Class B of the GPDO. Ground-mount and listed buildings need full planning. Your installer should handle the application — see planning permission for farm solar.
Grid connection — Northern Powergrid
Northern Powergrid. 8-12 weeks typical G99. Good agricultural connection team. Limited capacity around Teesside heavy-industry corridor; abundant capacity in rural areas.
Every project we deliver in North of England goes through Northern Powergrid. A specialist installer manages G98 (sub-16A/phase) and G99 (commercial scale) applications end-to-end as part of the quote — see our 8-stage installation process for typical timings.
Climate and solar irradiance
Cooler with longer summer daylight (16+ hours June). Snow loading on upland farms above 250m elevation requires robust mounting. Coast salt exposure on East Riding sites.
Annual irradiance: 950 kWh/m²/yr — lower than southern England but still delivering 3-5 year payback for high-baseload farms.. This translates to 808 kWh per kWp of installed capacity per year for a south-facing 30° pitched roof — the figure we model every North of England farm quote against.
Counties we cover across North of England
4 counties served, with regional installation team dispatched from our nearest hub:
Yorkshire
Solar panels for farms in Yorkshire →
North Yorkshire
Solar panels for farms in North Yorkshire →
Northumberland
Solar panels for farms in Northumberland →
Durham
Solar panels for farms in Durham →
Typical farm solar projects across North of England
- Small farm (sub-50 kW): £14k-£40k gross / £8k-£24k net after AIA + grant. Payback 2.0-3.0 years.
- Medium farm (50-150 kW): £35k-£105k gross / £19k-£56k net. Payback 1.6-2.4 years.
- Large farm (150-500 kW): £90k-£330k gross / £48k-£198k net. Payback 1.5-2.0 years.
- Estate-scale (500 kW+): £270k+ gross / £162k+ net. Payback 1.5-1.8 years. Often paired with PPA finance.
See full pricing by system size for the breakdown by farm type and system tier.
Most popular farm types for solar in North of England
- • Dairy farms — 30-250 kW typical, 5-year payback
- • Arable farms — 50-500 kW typical, 4.5-year payback
- • Poultry farms — 50-300 kW, fastest UK payback at 3.5 years
- • Livestock farms — 20-100 kW typical, 5.5-year payback
- • Mixed farms — 30-250 kW, 5-year payback
- • Horticultural & glasshouse — 100-1,000 kW, 4-year payback