Solar for farms and agriculture
Welsh farms have powered the country's food production for centuries. With energy costs now one of the largest input lines on most farm accounts, solar power offers genuine financial relief alongside a useful diversification income.
We work with dairy farms, beef and sheep enterprises, poultry units, arable operations, fruit growers, and equestrian businesses across rural Wales, from Anglesey to Gwent and everywhere in between.
Why agricultural buildings suit solar well
Modern agricultural buildings provide some of the best solar mounting surfaces available. Steel-portal sheds with profiled fibre cement or steel roofing typically have ample structural capacity, simple geometry, and minimal shading. Many farms also have multiple buildings, giving flexibility on array placement and the option to spread generation across different consumption points around the farm.
Roof orientations on farm buildings are often less ideal than purpose-built commercial roofs, but the impact on annual generation is smaller than people expect. East-west split arrays produce around eighty percent of a perfect south-facing equivalent, with the advantage of a flatter generation curve through the day that better matches farm load profiles.
Matching solar to farm load profiles
Dairy farms have particularly strong solar economics because of the twice-daily milking pattern, with significant load through the day from parlour pumps, cooling, refrigerated milk tanks, and feed handling. Poultry units have continuous ventilation and heating loads that solar covers well during daylight. Arable farms have lower base loads but high seasonal peaks during grain drying, harvesting and irrigation that can absorb substantial solar generation.
We design every farm system around your specific operations, looking at your half-hourly meter data where available and at typical seasonal patterns where it is not. The objective is high self-consumption with the option of export income on top.
Agricultural buildings and asbestos
A significant proportion of agricultural buildings in Wales have asbestos cement roofs, which need careful handling. We can install solar on asbestos roofs in some cases using specialised non-penetrating mounting, but where the roof condition is poor we usually recommend re-roofing first. The combined cost of re-roofing and installing solar is often closer to break-even than people expect once asbestos removal grants and tax allowances are taken into account.
Battery storage and milking continuity
For dairy operations in particular, battery storage adds real operational value beyond the financial returns. A battery sized to cover a milking session keeps the parlour running through a power cut, avoiding the welfare and herd-health problems that a dropped milking can cause. We have installed several systems specifically designed around this requirement.
Frequently asked questions
Will solar interfere with farm operations during installation?
Installation is sequenced around your operations. We can work in dry months to avoid harvest disruption, and we plan electrical outages around milking, feeding or other critical activities.
Are there agricultural grants for solar?
Several Welsh Government and UK schemes have supported agricultural renewable energy at various times. We track the current schemes and will identify any funding routes available when we visit.
Can we install on asbestos roofs?
Yes in some cases, with appropriate mounting systems and risk assessments. Where the asbestos roof is degraded, re-roofing first usually delivers a better long-term outcome.
What about ground-mounted arrays on spare land?
We design ground-mounted systems for farms with suitable spare land, often combined with sheep grazing underneath. This works particularly well where roof space is limited or the farmhouse load is far from the buildings.
How solar fits with farm diversification
For farms exploring diversification income, solar is one of the lowest-risk options available. Unlike holiday lets, glamping or farm shops, solar income is largely passive once the system is installed: there are no customers to manage, no compliance regimes to navigate beyond initial commissioning, and very limited ongoing labour.
Where farms have spare roof or land capacity beyond their own consumption needs, surplus generation can be exported under the Smart Export Guarantee or, on larger projects, through a Power Purchase Agreement directly with a commercial buyer. We have helped several Welsh farms structure such arrangements, providing meaningful additional income alongside the savings on their own electricity bills.
Solar for the farmhouse alongside the farm
Many of our Welsh farm projects include the farmhouse alongside the farm buildings. This is sensible because the farmhouse load profile differs from the farm itself, with peaks in early morning, evening and weekends rather than the daytime focus of the farm operations. Combining the two electrically through a private wire arrangement provides better self-consumption across the combined load than either site would achieve on its own.
Grain drying and irrigation peak loads
For arable operations, the harvest period brings dramatic spikes in electrical demand for grain drying, with consumption potentially tripling for several weeks each year. Solar generation through this period is typically at its peak, providing exceptionally strong economics for drying-heavy operations. Similarly, summer irrigation loads on horticultural farms coincide with peak solar generation. We pay close attention to these seasonal load patterns when sizing farm systems.