Can You Change Arable Land to Solar?

The simple answer is yes, you can change arable land to solar. In fact, solar farms on agricultural land are completely reversible, so can be easily installed and then decommissioned at the end of its operational period.

Many farms nowadays are looking for ways to diversify and replace fossil fuels with renewable energy sources for more sustainable operations. Using the sun as an energy source is second nature to farmers, so harvesting this and converting it into usable power is a great idea.

Before you get started though, it’s important to understand whether your site is suitable for a solar PV installation and whether this agricultural land change of use is viable.

Is Your Arable Land Suitable?

To start, the Planning Practical Guidance considerations for whether greenfield sites are suitable for renewable energy projects are:

• The proposed use of any agricultural land has been shown to be necessary and poorer quality land has been used in preference to higher quality land
• The proposal allows for continued agricultural use where applicable and/or encourages biodiversity improvements

From here, we will take a closer look into the quality of agricultural land, location, local communities, and tax implications to help with preparations to change your arable land to solar.

Agricultural Land Classification System

The quality of agricultural land is categorised by the Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) System:

• Grade 1 – Excellent Quality: Little to no limitations to agricultural use, with the ability to support a wide range of agricultural and horticultural crops.
• Grade 2 – Very Good Quality: Also supports a wide range of agricultural and horticultural crops but there are minor limitations and reduced flexibility which causes difficulty with the production of more demanding crops.
• Grade 3 – Good to Moderate Quality: Moderate limitations which affects the choice of crops to be grown, timing and type of cultivation, harvesting or yield.
  • Grade 3a – Good Quality: Capable of consistently producing moderate to high yields of a narrow range of arable crops or moderate yields of a wide range of crops.
  • Grade 3b – Moderate Quality: capable of producing moderate yields of a narrow range of crops or lower yields of a wider range of crops, or high yields of grass.
• Grade 4 – Poor Quality: Severe limitations that restrict the range and yield of crops that can be grown. Mainly suited to grass with occasional arable crops; very droughty arable land is included.
• Grade 5 – Very Poor Quality: Severe limitations where only permanent pasture or rough grazing can occur, except for occasional pioneer forage crops.

In order to prepare for changing your arable land to solar, you will need to carry out an ALC survey to identify the quality of your land. The National Planning Policy Framework defines the Best and Most Versatile Agricultural Land (BMVAL) as grades 1, 2 or 3a which aren’t recommended for solar panel installation.

However, it’s important to note that poorer quality of land, or grades 3b, 4 and 5, may have other constraints in addition to crop growing limitations. These include flood risk, terrain difficulties, or limited grid access. That’s not to say that these sites can’t be used for a solar installation, as seen in this bespoke mounting system for Noble Foods’ site where high water levels were an issue: https://noblegreenenergy.co.uk/case-studies/noble-foods-north-scarle/

Grid Connection

The location of your arable land also plays an important part in the suitability for solar due to the proximity of the grid connection. There are 2 factors that you need to consider:

• Does the grid have sufficient capacity available for the power generation?
• How far away from a point of connection into the grid is your land?

If there isn’t sufficient capacity available in the grid closest to your site, then developers will need to pay to upgrade the grid to create the capacity needed. This will determine whether the solar project is financially viable and if it is able to progress.

When it comes to distance, economies of scale come into play because the larger the project, the further the cables will need to run. Therefore, if your site is too far away from a point of connection, the project will not be able to go ahead. With smaller projects, there is the option to connect to the overhead power lines.

Local Community Planning

Closely related to your location, you need to take your local community into consideration too; without their support, you may not be able to move forward with your project.

Obtaining planning permission is a timely process in general, but make sure to factor in things that are important to the local community that you may need to adapt to. Community engagement is key in the success of your solar farm, so try to gain their support as early as possible during consultation, to make the process as smooth and successful as possible.

Tax Implications

One final thing you need to prepare for if considering turning your agricultural land into a solar farm is the tax implications. Along with solar farm lease agreements, you will be receiving income which will therefore incur income tax and National Insurance deductions.

The moment the lease is signed, the agricultural land switches to solar land and an investment property. Its value will be higher than its status as farmland, so you need to make sure you understand the tax you will be paying if you decide to push ahead with a solar project.

Agricultural Solar PV Installers

Another important consideration for an agricultural land change of use is choosing a reliable agricultural solar PV installer. Choose an installer with extensive experience in solar installations on arable land, so you can rest assured that your project is in safe hands.

At Noble Green Energy, we understand there are many different factors to think about when preparing for agricultural land change of use with a solar farm installation. After working for decades with a variety of clients and their solar PV installations, we have the expertise you can rely on for every stage of the project.

We take the time to understand your onsite operations and energy usage profile alongside sustainability targets and feasibility of solar PV. Take a look at some of our agricultural case studies such as Suffolk Dairy Farm, Leicestershire Farm and Moat Hall Farm or get in touch with us to see how we can help you.