New Solar Panels the Headline Act for Worthy Farm in 2026
There was no music coming out of Glastonbury this summer while the festival took a fallow year to give its farmland home chance to recover. There was, though, groundbreaking work on site, as Worthy Farm used the time to increase the size of its rooftop solar PV array while adding a new battery storage system to its renewable energy infrastructure.
Worthy Farm now boasts over 1,500 solar PV panels, making it one of the largest private solar systems in the UK. The latest phase of the programme added around 450 additional state-of-the-art 460W TCL SunPower modules, installed by renewable energy specialists SolarSense. The system will now generate around 387,000 kWh of electricity each year.
“Our whole philosophy is about preserving the environment and driving self-sufficiency plans,” says Steve Kearle, manager at Worthy Farm, pointing out how the new panels will be visible atop the cowsheds on the brow of the hill opposite the iconic Pyramid Stage for all festival goers to see when they visit next year.
More than a decade of solar at Worthy Farm
The latest phase builds on a relationship between Worthy Farm and SolarSense that stretches back more than a decade.
SolarSense has been working with Worthy Farm on its renewable energy projects since 2012, beginning with a solar PV system installed on the roof of a commercial cow shed. Designed to offset the dairy farm’s electricity use, the system was capable of generating enough power to meet around 80% of the farm’s electricity demand, with excess electricity exported to the grid.
Following the success of that installation, Michael Eavis returned to SolarSense for a further four solar PV systems across the farm and his own home.
“I installed solar PV on my farm as I believed it was the right thing to do,” Michael Eavis said following the original installation in 2012. “It has turned out to be an excellent investment, a return of more than 12% in the first year. We now not only do the best festival in the world, we also have the best solar power system.”
On the partnership, SolarSense Managing Director, Russell Mees, said:
“Worthy Farm is a great example of how renewable energy can develop alongside the needs of a working farm. What began with solar generation more than a decade ago has grown over time, and we’re incredibly proud to have supported Worthy Farm throughout that journey.”
Supporting farms with renewable energy
Worthy Farm is one of many agricultural businesses SolarSense has supported with renewable energy over the past two decades.
Farms are particularly well suited to solar PV. Large barns, sheds and other agricultural buildings can provide substantial areas of otherwise unused roof space, while land can also provide opportunities for ground-mounted systems. For energy-intensive operations such as milking, refrigeration, lighting and machinery, generating electricity on site can help reduce reliance on electricity bought from the grid and provide greater certainty over long-term energy costs.
Battery storage can provide another part of the solution, allowing more electricity generated during the day to be stored and used when it is needed. SolarSense works with farms and landowners to design systems around the individual site, whether that involves rooftop solar, ground-mounted generation, battery storage or a combination of technologies.
Agricultural installations also bring their own technical considerations. SolarSense has decades of experience advising farmers and landowners and works to ensure systems are suitable for livestock environments, including protection against ammonia and salt mist, while ensuring installations do not compromise natural ventilation in buildings such as cattle sheds.
From initial design and network applications through to planning, installation, handover and ongoing maintenance, SolarSense supports agricultural customers throughout the process, helping farms make better use of their buildings and land while generating more of their own electricity.
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