Six Tailored Solutions for Every Farm ☀️
Agricultural properties come in all shapes and sizes, and so do their energy needs. Whether you operate a small family holding or a large commercial enterprise, our engineers will design a system that aligns precisely with your buildings, land, budget, and long-term goals.
Roof-Mounted Solar Systems
Roof-mounted installations are the most straightforward and cost-effective way to bring solar energy to your farm. Agricultural buildings typically offer large, unshaded roof areas that are perfectly suited for solar panels. Barns, grain stores, milking parlours, equipment sheds, and poultry houses all provide excellent mounting surfaces with favourable south-facing orientations.
Our engineers carry out a full structural assessment of your roof before designing the system, ensuring the building can support the additional load safely. We work with every common agricultural roof type including corrugated steel, standing seam metal, fibre cement, and slate. Installation is non-invasive, and most roof-mounted farm projects are completed within 2 to 4 working days, with minimal disruption to daily farming activities.
Ground-Mounted Solar Arrays
When roof space is limited or unsuitable, ground-mounted solar arrays offer a powerful alternative. These systems are installed on dedicated frames driven directly into the ground, typically on marginal or lower-grade agricultural land where crop yields are already minimal. Ground arrays offer the advantage of optimal angle and orientation, since they are not constrained by existing building geometry.
Our driven pile foundations require no concrete and cause minimal soil disturbance, meaning the land can be fully restored if the system is ever decommissioned. For farms with available acreage, ground-mounted arrays can scale from 50kW domestic-scale projects right up to multi-megawatt installations that generate significant revenue through grid export. Each array is custom-designed with row spacing optimised for the specific latitude and terrain of your site to maximise annual energy yield.
Battery Energy Storage
Battery storage transforms your solar installation from a daytime-only energy source into a round-the-clock power supply. Without storage, any solar electricity generated during peak daylight hours that exceeds your immediate demand is exported to the grid at relatively low tariff rates. With batteries, that surplus energy is captured and stored for use during evenings, early mornings, or cloudy periods when your panels are producing less.
We install lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) battery systems ranging from compact 5kWh units for small farm offices to large 200kWh+ commercial banks for high-demand operations. These batteries are selected specifically for agricultural environments because of their superior thermal stability, long cycle life exceeding 6,000 full charge-discharge cycles, and resistance to temperature extremes. Our intelligent energy management system decides in real time whether to store, consume, or export energy based on your usage patterns, grid tariff rates, and weather forecasts.
Agrivoltaic Systems 🌾
Agrivoltaics represents the most innovative approach to farm-based solar energy. These elevated ground-mount systems position solar panels at a height of 2.5 metres or more above the ground, allowing livestock to graze freely beneath them or shade-tolerant crops to grow underneath. The result is dual-use land that generates clean electricity while maintaining its agricultural function.
Sheep farmers across the UK have embraced agrivoltaics enthusiastically, finding that their flocks actively seek out the shade provided by panels during warm months. This natural shelter reduces heat stress, improves animal welfare, and can lead to better weight gain during summer. The sheep in turn keep grass growth managed around the panel structures, reducing the need for mechanical mowing and maintenance. For arable farms, certain crops including lettuce, spinach, herbs, and berries can actually benefit from the dappled light created by overhead panels, leading to reduced water requirements and extended growing seasons.
Farm EV Charging Stations
As electric vehicles become more common in rural areas, farms are uniquely positioned to benefit. Many agricultural businesses already operate electric utility vehicles, quad bikes, and are beginning to transition pickup trucks and vans to electric models. Solar-powered EV charging stations allow you to fuel your farm fleet using your own clean energy at effectively zero cost per mile.
Beyond powering your own vehicles, farm-based EV charging can create an additional revenue stream. Farms located near popular walking routes, holiday accommodation, or on well-travelled rural roads can offer public charging facilities. With the right configuration, a single 22kW charging point connected to your solar system can generate meaningful supplementary income while providing a valued community service. We install both 7kW slow chargers ideal for overnight fleet charging and 22kW fast chargers suitable for visitor-facing locations, all integrated seamlessly with your solar and battery system.
Smart Monitoring & Energy Management
Every VDTPanl installation comes equipped with our comprehensive monitoring platform that gives you full visibility into your energy system's performance. The dashboard tracks real-time generation from your panels, energy consumption across your farm, battery charge levels, grid export volumes, and cumulative financial savings. You can access this information from any device through a web browser or our dedicated mobile application.
Beyond simple monitoring, the platform includes intelligent energy management features. The system learns your farm's usage patterns over time and automatically adjusts battery charging schedules, load distribution, and export timing to maximise your financial returns. If any component underperforms, such as a panel producing less than expected due to soiling or a wiring fault, the system generates an automatic alert sent to both you and our maintenance team. This proactive approach means issues are identified and resolved before they impact your energy savings, often before you even notice a problem.
