Agricultural solar: how Canadian farms can use it

Farms are a natural fit for solar in several ways. Barns, sheds and shops have big roofs. Many operations use a lot of electricity during the day. Some have spare land. At the same time, farm electricity bills and farm loads have quirks that make the sums less obvious than for a house. This guide covers the main considerations. It is general information only, so confirm tax, financing and programme details with your own advisers.

What makes a farm different

A house has a fairly steady load that rises in the evening. A farm can look nothing like that.

• A dairy has milking, cooling and washing at fixed times, often early morning and late afternoon.
• A grain operation might use power in bursts for drying and handling at harvest.
• Irrigation draws heavy power in summer, with long idle periods in winter.
• Greenhouses, poultry barns and hog barns add ventilation and heating loads that vary with the season.

Solar is strongest when production matches use. Daytime summer loads such as irrigation, ventilation and cooling line up well. Winter heating and early-morning milking do not, unless there is storage or net metering to bridge the gap.

Start with your bills

Pull twelve months of electricity data for each meter. Farms often have several meters, and rates may differ by account type. Look at total kWh per month, peak demand if shown, and the rate structure. Some utilities charge for peak demand in addition to energy, so a system that lowers kWh but not the peak may save less than expected. A system’s value depends on what each kilowatt-hour is worth to you, so calculate with your actual rate. The same payback arithmetic used for homes applies at a larger scale.

Barn and shed roofs

Large, simple roofs can make installation easier than on a complicated house roof. A few checks matter more on farm buildings:

1. Structure. Older barns may not carry extra load, and snow loads must be checked.
2. Roof material and age. Metal roofs are common and can suit some mounting systems.
3. Airborne dust, ammonia and moisture in livestock buildings, which can be hard on equipment.
4. Access and fire safety requirements.
5. Insurance. Tell your farm insurer and ask in writing what changes.

Our guide to mounting options covers roof, ground and carport structures, and the same roof questions apply to outbuildings.

Ground mounts and land

Ground arrays can be sited for ideal tilt and orientation, away from shade and livestock. Farmland may be subject to zoning, agricultural land reserve rules or municipal restrictions. In some places, using good farmland for panels raises questions. Talk to your municipality early, before design money is spent. Fencing, drainage, vegetation control and grazing access also need thought, and some farms graze animals around panels, though that depends on design and local rules.

Solar for specific farm jobs

Solar pumping suits water supply, livestock watering and irrigation in daytime. Panels can power the pump directly with little or no battery. For heating a barn or drying crops, thermal systems can be efficient. Transpired solar air heating, which we describe in solar air heating in Canada, is used mainly in commercial and farm buildings to pre-warm ventilation air.

Remote sites such as a distant water trough or fence charger can use small stand-alone systems.

Net metering, caps and rules

Rules for system size and export credits vary by province and utility. Some provinces credit exports at or near the retail rate. Others pay less, and some set size caps in the range of tens or around a hundred kilowatts. The difference between the two models affects your payback considerably, as explained in net billing vs net metering. These rules have changed recently in several provinces, so verify current terms with your utility, and note that commercial or agricultural accounts may be treated differently from residential ones. Our guide to the interconnection process outlines the usual steps, including utility review, which for larger systems can take longer.

Scale and cost

Commercial-scale systems often cost less per watt than a small home system, but total project costs are higher and engineering is more involved. A 50 kW system is a bigger commitment than a 7 kW rooftop one. As a rough illustration, if the cost were somewhere between about $2 and $3.50 per watt at that scale, the total would be in the six figures. That is a planning idea, not a quote, and prices vary with the region, roof and equipment. Always get several quotes.

Financing: be careful

Large systems tempt people toward long loans or third-party arrangements. A farm already carries equipment debt, land payments and variable income, so adding another obligation deserves caution. Compare options in solar financing in Canada, keep an eye on early repayment terms, and speak to your accountant and lender. Treat any promise of guaranteed savings with scepticism. Some programmes for agricultural energy upgrades exist and change often, so ask your provincial agriculture ministry and utility what is open now.

Questions to ask before you start

• What portion of my annual kWh could the system realistically offset?
• How does the utility treat exports and demand charges for my account?
• What is the plan if a roof needs repair?
• Who maintains the system, and what are the response times?
• How does the system affect my insurance and any tax treatment, which my accountant can confirm?

Businesses that are not farms, such as a shop or workshop on the property, may find similar issues covered in solar for small business. The special cases hub collects the others. A farm project rewards patient planning, and it should start with your bills and your loads, not with a salesperson’s spreadsheet.