This glossary defines every key term used across our farm-building solar PV resources. Each entry is plain-English with practical relevance to UK farm operations. If a term you need isn't here, contact us and we'll add it.
- 100% AIA
- 100% Annual Investment Allowance — UK tax relief that allows full year-one expensing of qualifying capital expenditure including solar PV. Applies up to £1m per business per year. Effective tax saving roughly 25% for incorporated farms at 25% corporation tax.
- AC-coupled battery
- Battery storage system with its own inverter that connects to the existing AC distribution, separate from the PV inverter. More flexible for retrofit installations but slightly less efficient than DC-coupled.
- African Swine Fever (ASF)
- Viral disease affecting pigs. UK biosecurity protocols (Pig Health Scheme) apply during any work on pig finisher or breeding sites, including PV installation crews.
- Agrivoltaics
- Combined agricultural use of land beneath ground-mount solar PV installations. UK applications include sheep grazing under raised panels and crop production beneath translucent panels.
- Air Termination System
- Lightning protection roof-mounted rods that provide preferred strike points, conducting strike current via dedicated copper down-conductors to earth electrodes. Required for LPL I/II installations.
- AONB
- Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. UK protected landscape designation that may add planning consultation requirements for ground-mount installations.
- Arla 360
- Dairy farm assurance and sustainability programme operated by Arla Foods. Includes specific points for on-farm renewable energy and Scope 2 reduction.
- Asbestos Cement (AC)
- Pre-2000 roof cladding containing chrysotile asbestos. Under Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, cannot be retrofitted with PV — requires HSE-licensed removal first.
- Asbestos Removal Notification
- Mandatory 14-day HSE notification required before any asbestos removal work begins. Submitted by licensed asbestos contractor.
- Asset Finance
- Bank or specialist lender financing for solar PV capital expenditure, typically 5-10 year term, secured against the asset. Most farm installs are EBITDA-positive from month one under asset finance.
- AVI (Avian Influenza)
- Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza. UK biosecurity protocols (Avian Influenza Order 2006) apply during any work on poultry sites including PV installation crews.
- Bifacial Panels
- Solar panels capable of generating from both sides — front face and rear reflected light. Useful in ground-mount and east-west installations. Currently 5-10% more expensive than monofacial.
- BS 7671
- UK Wiring Regulations. Section 712 covers Solar PV Power Supply Systems. Mandatory compliance for all UK commercial PV installations.
- BS EN 62305
- European Lightning Protection standard. Risk assessment methodology determining required Lightning Protection Level (LPL).
- BYD
- Chinese tier-1 battery manufacturer (world's largest EV battery producer). Battery-Box Premium HV range common on UK commercial farm installs.
- CAR 2012
- Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012. UK regulations governing all work involving asbestos. Prohibits PV installation directly on asbestos cement cladding.
- CDP Supply Chain
- Formal supplier emissions reporting framework operated by CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project). Used by major UK retailers to track Scope 3 emissions through their supply chains.
- Class A Part 14 GPDO 2015
- Permitted Development order covering solar PV on agricultural buildings. Allows rooftop PV without formal planning permission for most agricultural buildings.
- Combined re-roof + PV
- Standard project structure for buildings with asbestos cement cladding — HSE-licensed asbestos removal followed by profiled steel re-cladding followed by PV install on the new roof.
- Commissioning
- Final stage of PV installation when the system transitions to operational status. Includes electrical safety testing, functional verification, MCS paperwork submission, and monitoring portal setup.
- Conservation Area
- UK planning designation that may add visual-impact consultation requirements for rooftop and ground-mount PV.
- CSP (Sheep) Bioassurance
- Sheep welfare and assurance programme. UK biosecurity protocols for sheep finishing operations during PV installation.
- DC AFCI
- DC Arc Fault Circuit Interruption. Modern inverter feature that detects arc faults on DC strings and shuts down the inverter within milliseconds. Per IEC 63027. Standard on inverters from 2020 onwards.
- DC-coupled battery
- Battery storage that shares the PV inverter (battery connects on the DC side before inversion). Slightly more efficient than AC-coupled, must be designed in from system inception.
- Decommissioning
- End-of-life removal of solar PV installation including panels, racking, cabling, and structural mounts. Typical cost £40-£80 per panel for rooftop, £8-£15 per panel for ground-mount.
- Default Tariff Tracker
- Ofgem-set price cap for default electricity tariffs. Relevant for understanding grid retail tariff trajectory affecting solar self-consumption economics.
- DNO
- Distribution Network Operator. Six UK DNO groups: National Grid Electricity Distribution, UK Power Networks, Northern Powergrid, Electricity North West, Scottish Power Energy Networks, SSEN. Responsible for distribution-level grid connections.
- East-West Orientation
- PV array orientation with panels facing east and west rather than south. Generates 10-15% less than south-facing but spreads generation across the day, often improving self-consumption ratio.
- EBITDA-positive
- Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation, Amortisation. Asset-financed PV installations are typically EBITDA-positive from month one — meaning monthly grid-cost saving exceeds monthly finance payment.
- EcoVadis
- Third-party sustainability rating used by major UK supermarket suppliers. References on-farm renewables in supplier sustainability scoring.
- EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment)
- Required for ground-mount solar above 5 MW or in sensitive locations. Typically 6-12 month process including ecological survey.
- EICR
- Electrical Installation Condition Report. Periodic electrical safety testing required every 5 years on commercial installations per BS 7671.
- Equipotential Bonding
- Electrical safety measure connecting all metallic building structures to the main earth terminal. Required by BS 7671 and BS EN 62305.
- Eternit (Cembrit)
- Major manufacturer of modern fibre cement cladding (the post-1999 replacement for asbestos cement). PV-compatible.
- Farming Connect
- Welsh advisory service supporting farms with grant applications including renewable energy projects.
- Farming Investment Fund (FIF)
- Defra capital grant scheme supporting productivity-improving farm investments. Solar typically not directly eligible but can be paired with eligible items (robotic milking, grain dryers).
- Feed-in Tariff (FiT)
- Closed UK renewable energy support scheme (closed to new applications March 2019). Existing recipients continue receiving payments for the original contract length.
- Fibre Cement (FC)
- Modern roof cladding using cellulose and polymer fibres (replacing asbestos from 1999+). PV-compatible directly.
- Fixed-price proposal
- Quote for solar PV installation with all costs locked in, no variation clauses. Standard from reputable installers post-survey.
- Formspree
- Online form processing service used for quote form submission on solarpanelsforfarmbuildings.co.uk.
- G98
- Engineering Recommendation governing connection of distributed generation up to 16A per phase. Below this threshold, simpler grid connection process applies.
- G99
- Engineering Recommendation governing connection of distributed generation above 16A per phase (above ~17 kW at 240V). Required for almost every commercial farm PV install.
- Ground-mount Solar
- PV installation on ground-mounted racking rather than rooftop. Common for systems above 250 kW where building roof area is insufficient.
- GSC
- Google Search Console. Used for sitemap submission and indexing monitoring.
- Half-Hourly (HH) Meter Data
- Electricity consumption data recorded every 30 minutes. Critical for accurate PV system sizing and self-consumption forecasting.
- HES (Hot-Spot)
- Localised panel area running hotter than surroundings, indicating cell damage or shading. Detected via thermal imaging or module-level monitoring.
- HSE (Health & Safety Executive)
- UK regulator with responsibility for workplace safety including asbestos handling. HSE-licensed contractors required for asbestos cement removal.
- HVDC (High Voltage DC)
- Modern inverter operating voltage range. Higher voltages (typically 600-1500V DC) reduce DC cable losses on commercial installations.
- IndexNow
- Search engine indexing protocol jointly operated by Bing, Yandex, Naver, Seznam. Enables instant URL submission for indexing.
- Inverter
- Electronic device converting DC from solar panels to AC for grid synchronisation. Multiple manufacturers: SolarEdge, SMA, Huawei, Fronius, Goodwe, Solis.
- IRR (Internal Rate of Return)
- Financial metric for solar PV economic analysis. Typical 25-year IRR for UK farm rooftop installs: 13-17%.
- IWA (Insurance-Backed Workmanship)
- UK insurance scheme providing 10-year workmanship cover for renewable installations. Critical protection against installer insolvency.
- JA Solar
- Chinese tier-1 panel manufacturer (top 2 by global volume). 540W modules common on UK farm installs.
- Jinko Solar
- Chinese tier-1 panel manufacturer (top 3 by global volume). Strong commercial portfolio in the UK.
- kWh
- Kilowatt-hour. Unit of energy. Standard measurement for solar PV generation, electricity consumption, and battery storage capacity.
- kWp
- Kilowatt peak. Rated capacity of solar PV system at Standard Test Conditions (1000 W/m² irradiance, 25°C). Used to size systems.
- LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate)
- Battery chemistry dominant on modern UK commercial solar storage. Safer and longer-cycle than older NMC chemistry. 5,000-7,000 cycle life at 90% DoD.
- Lifetime IRR
- Compound rate of return over the system's 25-30 year operational life. Typically 13-17% for UK farm rooftop PV.
- Lightning Protection Level (LPL)
- BS EN 62305 risk classification: I (highest), II, III, IV. Most UK farm installs justify LPL III or IV.
- Lion Quality
- UK egg assurance scheme. Major supplier programme requiring on-farm sustainability evidence including Scope 2 reduction.
- Listed Building Consent
- Planning consent required before any work on a Grade-listed building. Required for PV on listed agricultural buildings.
- LONGi
- Chinese tier-1 panel manufacturer. Industry-leading 15-year product warranty and 30-year linear performance warranty.
- MC4
- Industry-standard DC connector for solar panel cabling. Crimped or factory-assembled connections.
- MCS Commercial Certification
- Microgeneration Certification Scheme commercial certificate. UK gold standard for solar PV installers above 50 kW. Required for SEG eligibility.
- MPP / MPPT
- Maximum Power Point Tracking. Inverter algorithm that continuously adjusts operating point to extract maximum power from PV strings under varying conditions.
- NABIM
- National Association of British and Irish Millers. UK grain supplier assurance scheme.
- NICEIC
- UK electrical contractor certification body. NICEIC Approved Contractors authorised for commercial electrical work.
- No-Export Design
- PV system sized for 100% self-consumption with zero export to grid. Enables fast G99 grid connection on export-constrained networks.
- NMC (Nickel Manganese Cobalt)
- Older lithium battery chemistry. Largely superseded by LFP for commercial farm applications.
- NVZ
- Nitrate Vulnerable Zone. UK regulatory designation for nitrate-sensitive agricultural areas. Slurry management implications for dairy and pig installs.
- Octopus Outgoing Agile
- Variable SEG tariff that tracks wholesale electricity prices. Currently among the best SEG offers in the UK market.
- Optimised String
- PV system topology using module-level power optimisers (e.g., SolarEdge). Improves performance in shading conditions.
- Ozev
- UK government body managing electric vehicle charging grants including Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS).
- Performance Ratio (PR)
- Standard PV system efficiency metric. Compares actual generation against theoretical maximum for given irradiance. Year-one target 0.82-0.88 for UK farm rooftop installs.
- Permitted Development
- UK planning category allowing certain works without formal planning permission. Class A Part 14 GPDO 2015 covers most farm-building rooftop PV.
- PPA (Power Purchase Agreement)
- Long-term contract where a third-party developer installs and owns PV on the farm's buildings, selling electricity to the farm at a discount rate.
- PSDS
- Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme. Grant programme for public-sector buildings; not directly available to commercial farm projects.
- PV CYCLE
- European industry body for solar panel recycling. PV CYCLE UK operates collection facilities for end-of-life panels.
- PVSyst
- Industry-standard solar PV simulation software. Used for yield forecasting, shading analysis, financial modelling.
- Q-Cells (Hanwha Q Cells)
- South Korean and German tier-1 panel manufacturer. Strong low-light performance, relevant for UK installations.
- Racking
- Mechanical mounting system for solar panels. Major brands: Schletter, Renusol, K2 Systems.
- Re-cladding
- Installation of new roof cladding to replace removed asbestos cement. Profiled steel or composite panel standard.
- REC Group
- Norwegian/Singapore tier-1 panel manufacturer. Premium tier with 25-year product warranty.
- RECC
- Renewable Energy Consumer Code. Required for UK renewable installer accreditation.
- Red Tractor
- UK farm assurance scheme covering dairy, beef, lamb, pork, eggs, poultry, fresh produce. Increasingly references on-farm renewables.
- Re-powering
- Replacement of solar panels at end-of-life (typically year 25-30) while reusing racking, cabling, and structural mounts. Typical capex 50-60% of original install.
- RSPCA Assured
- UK animal welfare assurance scheme. References on-farm sustainability including renewables in scheme requirements.
- Scope 1
- Direct GHG emissions from farm operations (diesel, propane, etc.).
- Scope 2
- Indirect GHG emissions from purchased grid electricity. Solar PV directly reduces Scope 2.
- Scope 3
- Upstream and downstream GHG emissions across the supply chain. UK supermarket programmes increasingly target Scope 3 via supplier Scope 2 reduction.
- SEG (Smart Export Guarantee)
- UK regulatory framework requiring electricity suppliers to offer export tariffs for renewable generation. Replaces the closed FiT scheme.
- SFI (Sustainable Farming Incentive)
- Defra agricultural support scheme replacing BPS. Includes actions compatible with farm solar including agrivoltaic and biodiversity bundles.
- Shading Analysis
- Modelling of shadows on PV array from buildings, vegetation, terrain. Critical for accurate yield forecasting.
- SMA Solar Technology
- German tier-1 inverter manufacturer. Sunny Tripower CORE1/CORE2 ranges for commercial farm installs.
- SMETS2
- Second-generation UK smart meter. Required for SEG export metering on most installations.
- SolarEdge
- Israeli-headquartered premium inverter manufacturer. Module-level optimisers enable best-in-class shading tolerance and module-level monitoring.
- Solar Energy UK
- UK trade association for the solar industry. Membership signal for installer credibility.
- Speakable Schema
- Structured data marking content suitable for voice-search response. Improves visibility in voice search results.
- SPD (Surge Protection Device)
- Lightning and surge protection. Type 1 at main switchboard, Type 2 at inverter, Type 3 at sensitive equipment.
- SSEN
- Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks. Regional DNO covering southern England plus Highlands and Islands.
- String Inverter
- PV inverter connected to a string (series) of panels. Most common topology on commercial farm installs.
- Sunny Portal
- SMA monitoring platform. Established commercial monitoring solution.
- TFA (Tenant Farmers Association)
- UK tenant farmer industry body. Provides tenant-farmer-specific guidance including renewable energy projects.
- Three-phase Supply
- Electrical supply with three live conductors providing higher capacity than single-phase. Required for most commercial farm PV systems above 17 kW.
- Tier-1 Panel Manufacturer
- Industry classification of panel manufacturers based on bankability and financial stability. Top tier-1 brands: JA Solar, LONGi, Jinko, Trina, Q-Cells, REC.
- Trina Solar
- Chinese tier-1 panel manufacturer (top 3 by volume). Strong commercial portfolio.
- TRIG
- Tenancy Reform Industry Group. Provides guidance on tenant-PV installations and lease addenda for UK agricultural tenants.
- TrustMark
- UK government-endorsed quality scheme for tradespeople. Required for IWA workmanship warranty registration.
- UKPN (UK Power Networks)
- Regional DNO covering London, South East England, East Anglia.
- WCS (Workplace Charging Scheme)
- OZEV grant covering up to 75% of EV charger installation cost. Applicable to farm workplace charging.
- WEEE Regulations
- Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2013. Governs end-of-life disposal of solar panels and batteries.