Northern Ireland's farming is built on grass: dairy, beef and sheep, with intensive poultry and pig units adding some of the biggest electricity users on any farm. The rules for solar here differ from Great Britain's in three ways that matter — a 50 kW limit on permitted development, NIE Networks' own connection process, and no export payment scheme.
A south-facing 30° roof near Armagh generates about 895 kWh per kWp a year on PVGIS. By the end of July 2026 DESNZ counted 418 MW of solar in Northern Ireland — 2% of the UK's 22,992 MW.
Farming and electricity use in Northern Ireland
Dairy parlours and milk cooling, and the ventilation, heating controls and lighting in poultry and pig houses, are daytime loads that a roof array can cover directly. Because Northern Ireland has no equivalent of the Smart Export Guarantee, matching the array to the farm's own daytime demand matters even more here than in Great Britain.
What a farm roof generates here
These figures come from PVGIS, the European Commission's photovoltaic model (version 5.3, SARAH3 satellite data), for 1 kWp of crystalline panels facing due south with 14% system losses.
| Location | 30° roof (kWh/kWp/yr) | 10° roof (kWh/kWp/yr) | June, 30° (kWh/kWp) | December, 30° (kWh/kWp) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armagh | 895 | 821 | 114 | 22 |
| Coleraine | 877 | 802 | 116 | 18 |
Source: PVGIS v5.3 (EU Joint Research Centre), queried 26–27 September 2026. A 10° roof gives up about 8% of the annual output of a 30° roof near Armagh.
Near Coleraine a 30° roof gives about 116 kWh per kWp in June and 18 in December; near Armagh, 114 and 22.
What farm solar costs in Northern Ireland
DESNZ's installed-price series covers Great Britain only, so there is no official Northern Ireland figure. Get at least two itemised quotations and compare them on price per kW and on what is included — scaffolding, roof survey, G99/NI application and monitoring. Our guide to what agricultural solar panels cost shows the Great Britain figures by system size for reference.
Planning in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland's rules are 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 therefore needs planning permission. 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 be more than 2 m above the highest part or within 2 m of the edge. In a conservation area or World Heritage Site they cannot go on a wall or roof slope that faces onto and is visible from a road, and a building in the curtilage of a listed building is excluded unless listed building consent has been granted. There is no prior-approval step. A stand-alone array is permitted up to 30 m² and 2 m high, at least 5 m from the boundary, outside areas of special scientific interest and archaeological sites. Our guide to planning permission for farm solar covers the rules in England for comparison.
Grid connection
NIE Networks runs the distribution network across Northern Ireland 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 will use the full G99/NI process.
Grants and funding in Northern Ireland
No Northern Ireland scheme pays for solar panels on farms as of September 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, with more rounds planned over the next three to four years, and its item list did not include solar panels. The earlier Farm Business Improvement Scheme – Capital closed in 2022 and excluded renewable energy projects, and DAERA's Rural Business Development Grant Scheme excludes solar panels.
There is also no export payment scheme: the Smart Export Guarantee covers Great Britain only, the NI Renewables Obligation closed to new generation on 31 March 2017, and a proposed renewable electricity support scheme is not yet in law. Capital allowances are UK-wide and do apply — see how the allowances work — and the full dated picture is on our farm solar grants page.
Farm types common here
Area guides
County Antrim
Farm solar in County Antrim →
County Down
Farm solar in County Down →
County Armagh
Farm solar in County Armagh →
County Tyrone
Farm solar in County Tyrone →
Questions about farm solar in Northern Ireland
How much electricity does a farm roof generate in Northern Ireland?
PVGIS gives about 895 kWh per kWp a year for a south-facing 30° roof near Armagh and 821 kWh on a 10° shed roof, so a 40 kW array on a 30° roof there produces roughly 35,800 kWh a year.
Is there a grant for solar panels on farms in Northern Ireland?
Not as of September 2026. DAERA's Sustainable Farming Investment Scheme (40% up to £25,000) did not list solar panels in its first round, which closed on 3 September 2026, and the Farm Business Improvement Scheme – Capital excluded renewable energy projects. Northern Ireland also has no equivalent of the Smart Export Guarantee.