Grants for Solar Panels on Farms: What Is Open in 2026

Are there grants for solar panels on farms?

Grants open and close often, so check the scheme page before relying on any of this, and be wary of any site promising a farm solar grant without linking to the scheme itself.

England: Defra and RPA schemes

Improving Farm Productivity. Round 2 offered between £15,000 and £100,000 for solar photovoltaic systems. It is closed (RPA), and Defra's "Funding for farmers, growers and land managers" page lists no open grant for solar panels (Defra).

Farming Equipment and Technology Fund 2026. The FETF offered between £1,000 and £25,000 for each of three themes (productivity, slurry, animal health and welfare) to farmers, horticulturalists, forestry owners and contractors in England. Applications opened on 17 March 2026 and closed at midday on 12 May 2026 (RPA). Its productivity list included one solar item, FETF413, a self-contained solar powered water pump with its own panel, inverter and battery: 40% of an expected £5,000 cost, a £2,000 grant (item list). It did not fund solar panels for buildings.

Scotland

The Scottish Government's SME Loan Scheme, run through Business Energy Scotland, lends £1,000 to £130,000 interest-free for energy measures, repaid within 8 years, but its FAQs say it is not accepting new applications for solar PV (Business Energy Scotland). Business Energy Scotland's advice is free and impartial, and its case studies include a dairy farm with solar PV and battery storage (Business Energy Scotland). More in solar support for Scottish businesses.

Wales

The Development Bank of Wales' Green Business Loan Scheme lists solar PV among the projects it funds, with discounted fixed interest rates and a term linked to the project's payback. It is a loan, not a grant, and applicants need to be based in Wales with at least two years of trading and filed accounts. The bank also says a Sustainable Agriculture Loan Scheme for Welsh farms is in development (Development Bank of Wales).

Northern Ireland: DAERA

DAERA's Sustainable Farming Investment Scheme is a capital grant scheme for equipment and technology for primary producers in agriculture and horticulture. Its page says Round 1 is closed and does not mention solar panels (DAERA). We found no open DAERA scheme for farm solar on 2 November 2026.

Tax relief and business rates instead of grants

• Capital allowances. Solar panels are special rate plant (HMRC CA22335), and the Annual Investment Allowance lets a business deduct up to £1 million of qualifying spending in the year (GOV.UK). For a profitable farm this is usually worth more than any grant on offer. See capital allowances on solar panels.
• Business rates. GOV.UK lists farm buildings among the properties exempt from business rates (GOV.UK), and in England, renewable generation plant is left out of rating valuations until 1 April 2035 (SI 2022/405).
• Paying over time. A loan, hire purchase or a PPA spreads the cost. See commercial solar finance.

Farms usually get the best return when the system is sized to what they use in the day: dairies, cold stores, grain drying and workshops. See solar panels for farms and ground mounted solar.