Farms are well suited to solar. There are big shed roofs, daytime loads from grain drying, milking, cooling and workshops, and often space for a ground mount. The first question we’re asked is whether there’s a grant. Sometimes there is, but the main farm solar grant isn’t open right now, and most farms that install today pay for it through lower bills, tax relief and finance.
BrightEdge Solar designs and installs farm solar panels and battery storage on barns, grain stores, livestock buildings and ground mounts across Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and the North. Here’s the funding picture as it stands. Check the current status of any scheme before you rely on it.
In England, the main grant that has paid for farm solar is Defra’s Improving Farm Productivity grant, run by the Rural Payments Agency. Its second round included a solar strand. That round has closed, and there’s no confirmed date for another. If it returns in a similar form, these are the points that mattered last time:
If you think you might apply in a future round, it’s worth getting a survey and design done now, so the generation forecast, quote and roof details are ready when the window opens.
The Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF) 2026 and Capital Grants 2026 have both closed, and neither covered solar panels. Schemes under Environmental Land Management don’t pay for solar either. We’ll tell you if that changes.
Some local authorities and rural programmes offer business support from time to time. In Hull and East Yorkshire, the Combined Authority’s Growing Places Fund offers grants and loans to established businesses with growth projects, which can include farm businesses. See solar panel grants for businesses and our Yorkshire grants guide.
If a grant round opens, we run the application with you and do the legwork: technical details, quotes, generation forecasts and paperwork. You stay the applicant and sign it off. We’ll check eligibility before you spend time on it, and if the grant pays in stages, we’ll work to that schedule.
| System size | Typical installed cost (ex VAT) |
|---|---|
| 30 kWp | about £17,000–£21,000 |
| 50 kWp | about £28,000–£37,000 |
| 100 kWp | about £50,000–£65,000 |
Battery storage typically costs about £350–£450 per kWh installed. A re-clad, a fibre-cement roof or a long cable run to the meter adds cost. Your quote shows every item.
Not at the moment in England. The Improving Farm Productivity grant had a solar strand, but round 2 has closed and no new round has been confirmed. Check the current status on GOV.UK before you plan around it.
No. In round 2, solar had to go on a farm building or an irrigation reservoir. Ground-mounted arrays weren’t eligible.
Yes. Batteries, inverters, meters and grid connection costs were eligible alongside the panels in round 2.
No. Grants like this don’t fund work that has already started, and ordering kit early can make you ineligible. If you’re waiting for a grant, get the survey and design done but don’t commit to the install.
Most use capital allowances, the business rates exemption, lower electricity bills, export payments, and finance or a PPA. We set out the options with your quote.
Yes. We run the application with you and do the legwork: technical details, quotes, generation forecasts and paperwork.
Send us a recent electricity bill and tell us which buildings you have in mind. We’ll come back with a system size, an idea of cost and payback, and the funding routes worth looking at.
Book a free survey · Call 01482 765063 · info@brightedgesolar.com
BrightEdge Solar Ltd, Colonial House, Swinemoor Lane, Beverley HU17 0LS. MCS certified (NIC-601602). RECC member.