Solar Panel Farm in the UK: How Big, How Much Land, and What a Landowner Can Do

Updated 20 October 2026 · SEO Dons Editorial

People searching for a “solar panel farm” usually mean one of two things: a large commercial solar farm that supplies the grid, or solar panels on a working farm. They have very different consequences for the land, the income and the tax position, so this guide separates them. It is published by an independent publisher; it does not broker land deals or act for landowners.

What a solar panel farm is

A solar farm is a ground-mounted array of panels on frames, typically fenced, with inverters, a substation or connection point and access tracks. The electricity is exported to the grid, and the site is normally built and operated by a developer or an investor that leases the land from the landowner. That is different from the panels a farm puts on its own sheds to cut its power bill. Our guide to ground-mounted versus rooftop solar for farms compares the two.

How much UK land solar uses

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) estimated that at the end of September 2024 ground-mounted solar covered about 21,200 hectares (52,000 acres), around 0.1% of the UK’s total land area. The Clean Power Action Plan seeks 45 to 47GW of solar by 2030, up from just over 18GW when the UK Solar Roadmap was published in June 2025, and the Roadmap estimates this would need up to 0.4% of UK land. A DESNZ freedom-of-information response in December 2025 added that, even if all new capacity in the high current-policy scenario were ground-mounted, it would take no more than 0.6% of the UK’s utilised agricultural land by 2030.

The national share is small but the local share can be large. CPRE’s July 2025 analysis of 38 operational solar farms over 30MW in England found that 59% sat on productive farmland and almost a third (31%) of the area they covered was best and most versatile land, including 827 hectares of grades 1 to 3a. That is why the grade of your land matters so much to planning; see our agricultural land classification guide.

How big is a solar farm

Measure	Figure	Source
Land per MW, existing UK sites (median of 872)	2.25 hectares (5.6 acres)	DESNZ
Land per MW, new schemes	1.6 to 2 hectares (4 to 5 acres)	DESNZ
A 50MW scheme	Roughly 100 hectares	Farmers Weekly, July 2024
The 5MW farms of the 2010 boom	10 to 12 hectares	Farmers Weekly, July 2024
Minimum viable parcel	80 acres and above, though some developers take smaller sites	Carter Jonas

A quick way to turn those into a number for your own field is the solar farm land calculator: 100 acres, for example, could host somewhere near 20 to 25MW if the whole area were suitable, which it rarely is.

Three things a landowner can do

Lease the land to a developer. The developer funds and runs the site and pays an index-linked rent, published at roughly £800 to £1,100 per acre per year, after an option period that commonly runs three to five years. The land is committed for 25 to 40 years and Agricultural Property Relief is normally lost on it. Read the land lease guide before replying to a developer’s letter.
Own a ground-mounted array. You fund it, keep the electricity value and need planning permission from the council. See planning permission for ground-mounted solar and the cost guide.
Put panels on farm buildings. No farmland is lost, and in England it is normally permitted development. Our guide to solar panels on farmland compares all three on food production, income, tax and planning.

If you want to know what an acre earns under each route, we set out the arithmetic in how much an acre of solar panels makes in the UK. Dual use, with sheep grazing among the panels, is covered in the agrivoltaics guide.

How many acres for 1MW, 5MW or 50MW?

Using DESNZ’s land-take figures, the table converts scheme size into acres. The new-scheme range is 1.6 to 2 hectares per megawatt; the existing-site column uses the measured median of 2.25 hectares per megawatt across 872 UK sites. One hectare is 2.471 acres.

Scheme size	New schemes (hectares)	New schemes (acres)	Existing-site median (acres)
1MW	1.6 to 2	4 to 5	5.6
5MW	8 to 10	20 to 25	28
10MW	16 to 20	40 to 49	56
20MW	32 to 40	79 to 99	111
50MW	80 to 100	198 to 247	278

Farmers Weekly’s July 2024 figure of roughly 100 hectares for a 50MW scheme sits at the top of the new-scheme range. These are gross figures for the fenced site, including tracks and margins, so the area you would actually need to offer a developer is larger than the panel area alone, and the area that can be used is usually smaller than a whole field once hedgerows, easements and flood zones are removed. Enter your own acreage in the solar farm land calculator for a quick estimate, then read what to check before replying to a developer.

Fencing, security and siting

A solar farm is normally fenced and monitored, and the council will ask what is proposed. The police-backed Secured by Design Solar Farm Guide (reported July 2026) recommends proportionate, layered measures; our guide to solar farm security, fencing and your lease covers what to agree. Where a site sits on the land-quality scale also matters: see how to check your land grade before you assume the planning case is straightforward.

What decides whether your land is wanted

Developers choose sites on the grid first. Carter Jonas has said viable sites are generally within about 5km of a substation or have suitable overhead lines nearby; soil quality, topography, flood risk, access and visibility come after. A field with no grid capacity nearby may attract no interest at any rent, while a smaller parcel by a substation can attract several approaches. If a letter arrives, do not sign anything on the strength of it: ask a land agent whether comparable sites have attracted competing interest and what terms they secured.

Frequently asked questions

How much land does a solar farm need per megawatt?

DESNZ measured a median of 2.25 hectares (5.6 acres) per MW across 872 existing UK ground-mount sites, and estimates 1.6 to 2 hectares (4 to 5 acres) per MW for new schemes built with current panels.

What percentage of UK land is covered by solar farms?

DESNZ estimated that ground-mounted solar covered about 21,200 hectares at the end of September 2024, around 0.1% of the UK’s land area. The UK Solar Roadmap estimates the 2030 ambition would need up to 0.4%.

Can I still farm the land under solar panels?

Sheep grazing is the established dual use and is often reserved in the lease. Arable cropping is not possible under a standard layout. Crop agrivoltaics is still at trial stage in Great Britain. See our guides on grazing and agrivoltaics.

Sources

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