Questions

FAQs

I am a landowner and am interested in leasing my field to a solar developer. How do I go about this and how many years is the lease typically for?

Please get in touch with us via the Contact Page with all your details and we will investigate whether solar development is possible on your land. Leases tend to be for 35 – 40 years, although this does differ depending on the project.

Are solar farms a threat to food security?

Solar farms provide an important source of homegrown energy and there is no conflict between food security and energy security. Climate change is the biggest threat to food security (DEFRA UK Food Security Report 2021) and is already having devastating consequences for many farmers in the UK and across the world.

Solar farms are tackling this directly. The rental income helps farm businesses diversify, tiding them over when times are tough. They can also continue to graze the land between and around solar panels. Solar helps secure UK food production - now and in the future - by supporting farmers over the long term. Independent research shows that the proportion of farmland needed to deliver our 2030 solar targets is tiny – less than 0.5%.

That’s why the National Farmers’ Union is generally supportive of solar and contributed to this factsheet on Solar Farms and Agricultural Land.

Solar farms are a time limited and completely reversible land use with restoration of land at the end of the solar farm’s life usually guaranteed by a planning condition.

What impact does solar have on wildlife?

Solar farms are generally positive for nature and wildlife and can help reverse the dramatic declines caused by intensive farming reliant on chemicals and removal of habitats. Solar farms are proven to increase biodiversity by becoming mini-nature reserves, with ecological enhancements including wildflower meadows, new trees and hedgerows, ponds, beehives, bird and bat boxes and hibernacula.

While a minimum Biodiversity Net Gain of 10% became mandatory for all new developments in 2024, solar farms usually deliver much more than this.

What is the environmental impact of solar?

Solar farms are net positive for the environment. A solar farm is expected to pay back the energy used in manufacture and construction within 1 to 4 years of its operational lifetime. They are a time limited and completely reversible use of land, with a typical life of 25 to 40 years.

What happens at the end of the project?

Upon decommissioning, the site is generally returned to its original state.

We own solar infrastructure and are struggling to find expertise to manage it. Is Green Nation able to help?

Yes, Green Nation manages a number of Portfolios owned by investment businesses. We can fully manage a site or we can tailor our service to meet your requirements.

Residential FAQs

You manage a solar system on my roof, how do I pay for the solar electricity?

The electricity generated is free to use as the homeowner. Any unused electricity is exported to the grid. As there is no battery storage typically installed with the solar, the electricity is only available during daylight hours. To maximise the benefit of your system, consider matching usage to when the electricity is produced, setting off high usage appliances during the day rather than at night. Many washing machines or dishwashers have a delay function so they can be set to start a cycle at a chosen time.
Any electricity used outside of generating hours or in excess of what the solar can produce will be imported from the grid as usual and charged by your electricity supplier.

I have solar panels managed by Green Nation on my house but I am moving. What happens now?

If you move house, the new homeowner will benefit in exactly the same way and will continue to benefit from the reduced electricity bills, which is an attractive proposition if you are selling your home. The Lease is structured in such a way that it transfers seamlessly to the new owner of your home (because it is registered with the Land
Registry and links to your house not to you as individuals).
If you sell your home you should:

1. Use the contact page and send us the purchasers contact details once you have exchanged contracts
2. Give the purchaser the original lease (your solicitor will probably ask you for a copy of this and will send it to your buyers solicitor)
You do not need to notify Land Registry or sign any other documents.

What happens if the people buying our house need more information?

We are happy to speak to them directly or provide them (or you) with written information.

What happens if I want to buy the rooftop system and benefit from the Feed-in Tariffs?

You have the legal right to buy back the system. Once you own the system you will begin to receive all of the Feed-in Tariff payments yourself. The exact cost of buying the system depends on how big it is and how long ago it was installed. Please contact us via the contact page for more information.

How do I know if the panels are working?

The installation company fitted a Generation Meter in your house at the same time as the panels. This meter will show how much electricity you are generating. A small red LED light indicates the rate at which you are producing electricity – the faster it flashes, the more you are producing. If the red light is permanently ‘On’, no electricity is being
produced.

Do I need to clean the panels?

No. As the system is mounted on a pitched roof, the action of rain on the panels will be sufficient to clean them.
If the panels do become dirty, our data will probably show they are producing less electricity than they should. In this situation, we will call you to arrange a time for someone to come round and clean them.

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