Solar Grant for Farmers - up to £100,000
As a livestock farmer, you understand the challenges of managing your farm efficiently while ensuring the health and welfare of your animals. Fortunately, there is some news for you - good the UK government announced the Improving Farm Productivity grant Round 2, aimed at helping livestock farmers to develop sustainable and efficient farming practices.
The goal of the grant is to help farmers adopt new equipment, machinery, and technology to improve productivity, energy efficiency, and animal welfare. In this blog, we'll cover everything you need to know about this grant with a focus on solar installations, so that you can take advantage of the opportunity and boost your farm's productivity by implementing solar and renewable systems.
Who is Eligible for the Grant?
The Improving Farm Productivity grant Round 2 is specifically aimed at farmers or horticulturalists in England. To be eligible, farmers need to demonstrate that their farm is primarily engaged in livestock or horticulture farming in the UK, which includes beef, dairy, sheep, pigs, and poultry.
Grant Amount and Eligible Expenditures
The maximum and minimum grant you can apply for depends on your project(s).
Farm Productivity grants
If you're looking to apply for a grant for robotic or automatic equipment, wavelength specific LED lighting and/or advanced ventilation control units, but not including solar PV equipment, you can apply for a minimum grant of £25,000, which is equivalent to 40% of the total project cost of £62,500. The maximum grant available is £500,000 per applicant business.
Solar grants
If you're applying for a solar PV equipment grant, the minimum amount you can apply for is £15,000 (25% of £60,000), and the maximum is £100,000 per applicant business.
You need to be able to pay the remaining project costs, which can be done through loans, overdrafts, and certain other sources such as the Basic Payment Scheme or agri-environment schemes like the Countryside Stewardship scheme.
You cannot use other public funding, including local authority grant funding, to cover project costs. This grant also cannot be used for capital works required by other agreements.
If you want to apply for both a solar grant and a farm productivity grant, you need to submit two separate applications. The maximum amount you can receive across all submitted applications is £500,000 in total per applicant business.
Eligible Expenditure for Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems
Solar PV systems eligible for grants are installed on farm buildings and used mainly for farm power. The solar energy is stored in batteries and surplus power can be exported back to the National Grid.
The systems can be installed on irrigation reservoirs or farm buildings that can support the panels.
You are responsible for ensuring that a roof is capable of supporting the panels.
Eligible items for the grant include solar PV panels, batteries, inverters, utility meter, and power diverts.
Items that are not eligible include ground-base solar systems, roof replacement or reinforcement, construction of farm buildings, and upgrading of existing solar panels.
How the grant works
The grant is awarded to applications that score the highest based on the below funding priorities in a competitive process.
improve productivity
improve the environment
introduce innovation
introduce technology to address labour shortage (farm productivity projects)
There is a two-stage application process.
For stage one:
You can use the online checker to determine eligibility and how well your project fits the funding priorities.
If your project meets the priorities, you can apply online.
If demand is high, priority will be given to projects that best fit the priorities.
You'll be informed if you're shortlisted for a full application.
Online checker will be available from January 2024
For stage two:
If your project is eligible and scores highly enough against the priorities, you'll be sent an application form and project number to make a full application.
If your full application scores highly enough, you'll be offered a grant from Rural Payment Agency (RPA).
How can Mazuwa help you?
We can help you find the best opportunity for solar PV systems on your farm, conduct research, and determine the most efficient and sustainable solution. Additionally, we'll design, install, and commission your solar PV system to help you achieve your goals.
We'll work with your team to ensure you understand grant requirements and provide necessary documentation for your application. Since the grant is highly competitive, we'll help you stand out by highlighting the positive impact your proposed project will have on productivity, the environment, innovation, and addressing labour shortage with the use of technology.