Solar Panel Installation
MCS-certified domestic install, 3-6kW typical. 0% VAT through March 2027. Tier 1 panels, hybrid inverter, SEG setup.
From £4,500Got a south-facing barn roof? Agricultural solar PV pays back faster than any other UK solar segment — typically 5-7 years thanks to daytime self-consumption. Get matched with vetted Cornwall farm solar specialists.
Cornish farms have some of the best solar economics in the UK. The combination is near-perfect: large south-facing barn roofs (no planning issues, no neighbours to shade), daytime electricity loads (milking parlours, refrigeration, grain dryers, feed mills, vacuum pumps), rural three-phase supplies that handle decent system sizes, and agricultural diversification income that interacts well with the tax treatment. Payback on a well-sited 30-100kW farm install routinely lands in the 5-7 year range — faster than commercial, faster again than domestic.
Typical Cornish farm solar applications we cover:
Why barn roofs work so well for solar:
Costs (at time of writing, 2026):
Tax treatment is crucial. Most Cornish farming businesses qualify for the Annual Investment Allowance — 100% first-year capital allowance on plant up to the AIA cap. Combined with reduced electricity bills and SEG export income, post-tax payback frequently drops below 5 years. Talk to your land agent or accountant before specifying — there are also Countryside Stewardship and rural-development grant routes worth checking depending on the year and farm type.
All installers in our network are MCS-certified for systems up to 50kWp and NICEIC-approved (or equivalent) for larger work. G99 DNO applications for agricultural systems go to National Grid Electricity Distribution; lead times are 4-8 weeks typical, sometimes longer if the local 11kV network needs reinforcement.
Getting a Cornwall MCS-certified farm solar panels specialist shouldn't be a fortnight of cold calls. Here's how it works.
Fill in the quick quote form. Tell us your Cornwall postcode, property type, the job (new install, battery, clean, repair, commercial, farm or holiday let) and rough timing.
We pair you with a vetted Cornwall MCS-certified, RECC-registered farm solar panels specialist near you. Site survey arranged direct — usually within 1-2 weeks, faster for repairs.
Survey, written quote, G98 or G99 DNO application, scaffolding, install, commissioning, MCS certification and Smart Export Guarantee paperwork — all handled by your matched installer.
Need something other than farm solar panels? We cover the full range of Cornwall solar work — domestic, commercial, farm, holiday let, batteries, cleaning and repair.
MCS-certified domestic install, 3-6kW typical. 0% VAT through March 2027. Tier 1 panels, hybrid inverter, SEG setup.
From £4,500Tesla Powerwall 3 (13.5kWh), GivEnergy 5.2-13kWh, Enphase IQ Battery. Hybrid or AC-coupled retrofit.
From £5,500Coastal grime, bird droppings, lichen reduce yield by 5-15%. Pure-water reach systems, annual clean recommended.
From £75/visitInverter replacement (10-12 yr lifespan typical), microinverter swaps, DC isolator failures, full fault diagnosis.
From £150 diagnosticHotels, holiday let portfolios, offices, retail, warehouses. 5-8 year ROI typical with G99 grid connection.
Bespoke quoteAgricultural roof and ground-mount installs. AIA-eligible plant and machinery. Diversification income.
Bespoke quoteOffset guest electricity, EV-charger integration, SEG export income on summer-peak generation.
From £4,500Indicative installed prices for typical 2026 Cornwall jobs. Your matched MCS-certified installer gives a firm written quote after survey.
Entry-level MCS-certified PV install — 7-9 Tier 1 panels, string inverter, SEG setup. 0% VAT to March 2027.
Most common 2026 spec — 10-12 panels, hybrid inverter, GivEnergy or equivalent battery. 0% VAT on full package.
13.5kWh Powerwall 3 fitted to existing PV — AC-coupled or hybrid inverter swap. App control, full home backup option.
Commercial roofs, holiday parks, farms. G99 DNO application included. AIA tax relief and 5-8 year ROI typical.
We cover the whole of Cornwall — find your nearest town to connect with a vetted local MCS-certified solar installer in your area.
Everything you need to know about farm solar panels in Cornwall.
Almost always yes if you have a south-facing barn roof and meaningful daytime electricity loads (dairy parlour, refrigeration, grain dryers). Payback is typically 5-7 years — the fastest payback of any UK solar segment. Post-AIA tax relief, payback can be under 5 years on a profitable farm business. Strong fit for Cornish dairy, beef, arable, horticulture and mixed enterprises.
Match to daytime baseload, not total annual use. A site survey will pull 12 months of half-hourly meter data and size the system to maximise self-consumption. Typical Cornish farm installs: 30-50kW for a single dairy barn, 50-100kW for a working mixed farm, 100-200kW for larger operations with multiple barns. Above 200kW you may want to consider ground-mount or multiple metered connections.
Probably yes, but a structural survey is essential before quoting. Modern portal-frame and steel-purlin barns are usually fine. Older corrugated-iron barns with timber purlins sometimes need strengthening or re-roofing first. The survey will check rafter capacity, sheet condition and weathering — and if the roof needs work, it's often cheaper to do solar + re-roof in one project than separately.
Usually yes — agricultural solar typically qualifies for the Annual Investment Allowance (100% first-year capital allowance on plant) up to the AIA cap. Combined with the cost reduction and SEG export income, post-tax IRR is generally excellent. Discuss with your land agent or farm accountant — there may also be rural-development grant routes worth checking depending on the year.
Possible, but the planning regime is different. Ground-mount solar on farmland up to ~1MW typically needs full planning permission rather than permitted development. Cornwall Council has been broadly supportive of ground-mount where it doesn't take prime agricultural land out of use — sheep-grazed solar (agrivoltaics) is increasingly common. Above 1MW it's a different planning regime entirely (NSIP-adjacent for very large schemes).
For systems above ~11kW yes. Most working Cornish farms already have three-phase supply for milking parlours, refrigeration and feed mills. If you don't, the DNO can quote for a three-phase upgrade — typical cost £2,000-£6,000 depending on distance to the nearest three-phase line. Sometimes the upgrade is bundled into the G99 application and grant routes may apply.