Farming around York
The Vale of York is an arable belt — wheat, barley and oilseed rape on the lowlands, with grain drying and storage — plus pig and poultry units towards Pocklington and Easingwold and dairy on the heavier clays towards Stamford Bridge. Grain stores and livestock sheds give the largest roof areas.
York at a glance
- County: North Yorkshire
- Local planning authority: City of York Council
- Network operator: Northern Powergrid
- PVGIS output: about 960 kWh per kW a year on a 30° south-facing roof; 868 kWh at 10°
- June vs December (30° roof): about 118 kWh vs 29 kWh per kW
- DESNZ 2025/26 mean cost, 10–50 kW, Yorkshire and the Humber: about £1,347 per kW (789 installations)
- Nearby towns: Tadcaster, Selby, Pocklington, Easingwold, Stamford Bridge
What a farm roof near York generates and costs
| System | Output a year, 30° roof | Output a year, 10° roof | Cost benchmark |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 kW | 9,600 kWh | 8,680 kWh | about £13,470 (DESNZ regional mean × size) |
| 30 kW | 28,800 kWh | 26,040 kWh | about £40,410 (DESNZ regional mean × size) |
| 50 kW | 48,000 kWh | 43,400 kWh | about £67,350 (DESNZ regional mean × size) |
| 100 kW | 96,000 kWh | 86,800 kWh | No official figure above 50 kW — priced from itemised quotes |
| 250 kW | 240,000 kWh | 217,000 kWh | No official figure above 50 kW — priced from itemised quotes |
PVGIS assumes an unshaded, south-facing array with 14% system losses; east–west, shaded or dirty roofs produce less. The cost benchmark is DESNZ’s regional mean for MCS-certified 10–50 kW installations (including VAT where charged, excluding batteries). How quickly a system pays back depends on how much of the output the farm uses itself, because each unit used on site saves the full import price. See the farm solar cost guide for how quotes are built up.
Planning and grid around York
Roof panels on a farm building around York are normally permitted development under Class J of Part 14 of the General Permitted Development Order 2015, so City of York Council does not need a planning application when the panels stay within its limits: there is no capacity cap; panels may stand no more than 0.2 m proud of a pitched roof or 1 m above a flat roof, and must be at least 1 m from the roof edge; and arrays above 50 kW need the council’s prior approval on design and glare. Listed buildings, buildings within their curtilage and scheduled monuments fall outside Class J, so panels on them need planning permission (and listed building consent for a listed building). In a conservation area or National Landscape the extra Class J restriction applies only to panels fixed to a wall that fronts a highway. The Howardian Hills National Landscape (formerly an AONB) lies to the north. That affects field arrays, which need full planning permission anyway; it does not remove Class J rights for roof panels. Parts of the River Ouse corridor lie in Environment Agency flood zones, which matters for any new building on the farm, such as a battery store, rather than for panels on an existing roof.
Northern Powergrid runs the network around York. Systems up to 16 A per phase (3.68 kW on a single phase) connect under G98; anything larger needs a G99 application, and the operator's offer sets the timetable, any export limit and any reinforcement cost. Make the application before equipment is ordered.
Grants and tax relief for York farms
- ✓ Improving Farm Productivity grant (England) — paid up to 25% towards rooftop and irrigation-reservoir solar (£15,000 to £100,000), but round 2 has closed and no new round has been announced. The FETF’s 2026 window closed at midday on 12 May 2026, and its item lists did not include solar panels to power a farm. See the 2026 grant position.
- ✓ Annual Investment Allowance — solar panels are special-rate plant, and most farm businesses can deduct the whole cost in year one through the £1m AIA (a partnership with a company as a member cannot claim it). Capital allowances for farm solar.
- ✓ Smart Export Guarantee — pays for exported surplus; systems up to 50 kW need MCS certification, and each licensed supplier sets its own rate.
- ✓ Sustainable Farming Incentive — has no solar action, and land under a solar array has its own Rural Payments Agency land-use code (UT01), which the RPA lists as a non-agricultural use.
What a good York farm solar quote should include
- ✓ Sizing from your half-hourly meter data, not a rule of thumb
- ✓ A roof structure check by a competent person, and a structural engineer for unusual roofs
- ✓ An asbestos-cement assessment where the roof is fibre cement — HSE treats these roofs as fragile
- ✓ The G99 application to Northern Powergrid, made before anything is ordered
- ✓ MCS certification for systems up to 50 kW, which Smart Export Guarantee suppliers ask for
- ✓ Written panel, inverter and workmanship warranty terms — and how the workmanship warranty is protected if the installer stops trading
- ✓ Commissioning records and monitoring handed over at the end