How to Install Solar Panels on the Ground in a UK Garden

The steps at a glance

1. Check the shade first

A garden is lower, more fenced and more treed than a roof, and shade on one panel drags down every panel wired with it. Photograph the spot every two hours on a sunny day, and repeat in winter if you can, when the sun is lowest. Our shade article explains the method and what the shadows cost.

2. Check planning

Since 27 August 2026, stand-alone solar in the garden of a house in England is often permitted development if the panels cover no more than 9 square metres and keep to a height limit set by position: 4 metres in most of the garden, 2 metres within 5 metres of a boundary, and 1 metre if it is also in front of the house. It is not permitted in the grounds of a listed building, and conservation areas and other designated land add a prior-approval step. Bigger arrays need a planning application, which costs £258 for works in a house's garden. The planning page has the full rules.

3. Size the array

Nine square metres is about four panels, around 1.8kWp. In central England a well-sited array makes around 950–1,000kWh a year for every kWp (PVGIS), so that is roughly 1,700kWh. An array of up to 3.68kW on a normal single-phase supply falls under the simpler G98 route; larger systems need the network operator's approval first (step 7).

4. Frame and foundations

Ground frames sit on ground screws, concrete pads or ballast. Which one depends on the soil, the slope and the wind load the frame maker specifies for its height and tilt. Follow the manufacturer's load figures rather than guessing: a tilted panel catches wind like a sail. Face the array as close to south as the garden allows and set the tilt the frame offers; a ground frame is the one place where you pick both.

5. The cable run to the house

The array's output travels to the house through armoured cable in a trench. The further the run, the thicker the cable needs to be to keep losses within the wiring regulations (BS 7671), so get the electrician to specify the cable before anyone digs. Mark the route, avoid other services, and record where it runs. Our garden solar costs page shows how distance feeds into the price.

6. Inverter and connection: the electrician's job

Connecting a solar array to your home's wiring means a new circuit from the consumer unit, which is notifiable work under Part P of the Building Regulations. A registered electrician (one in a competent person scheme) can self-certify it; otherwise building control must inspect it. This is not the step to do yourself.

7. Notify the network operator and certify

Up to 16A per phase (3.68kW single-phase), the installer connects and then notifies the network operator within 28 days under G98. Above that, a G99 application must be approved before connection. To earn export payments under the Smart Export Guarantee the installation must be MCS certified; every licensed supplier must offer a rate above zero. Professionally installed solar is zero-rated for VAT until 31 March 2027; parts you buy to fit yourself carry 20%.

Ready to plan one? The ground-mounted garden array guide covers frame types, sizes and costs in more depth.

What it costs and what it saves

A permitted-development array of about 1.8kWp costs £2,200–£3,500 professionally installed, including the inverter, cable run, network notification and MCS certification. For bigger arrays the government cost data is the benchmark: across MCS installations in Great Britain in 2025/26 the median was £1,595 per kW up to 4kW and £1,546 per kW for 4–10kW, mostly on roofs, so the ground frame and trench come on top. On the Ofgem price cap of 26.32p per kWh (to 31 December 2026) and an export rate of around 12p, a well-sited 1.8kWp array returns about £350 a year if you use 60% of what it makes. The garden solar costs by size table has the larger sizes.

Mistakes that cost the most

• Skipping the shade check. A hedge that shades one panel for two hours a day costs more output than the same shade on a roof, because garden arrays sit lower.
• Buying the parts before planning is clear. An array that breaks the 9 m² cap or a height limit needs an application first; DIY parts also carry 20% VAT, while professionally installed solar is zero-rated until 31 March 2027.
• Digging the trench before the cable is specified. A long run may need thicker cable; have the electrician specify it first.
• Connecting it yourself. The new circuit is notifiable under Part P, and an uncertified installation cannot earn export payments.
• Ignoring the wind. A tilted panel on a light frame is a sail; foundations should follow the load figures from the frame maker.

Ground installation questions

Can I install ground-mounted solar panels myself?

You can build the frame and dig the trench, but connecting the array to your home's wiring adds a new circuit, which is notifiable work under Part P of the Building Regulations: a registered electrician must do it or building control must sign it off. Export payments need an MCS-certified installation.

Do I need to tell the network operator?

Yes. An array of up to 16A per phase (3.68kW on a normal single-phase home) is connected and then notified to the network operator within 28 days under G98. Anything bigger needs a G99 application and approval before it is connected.

How much can a ground array generate?

In central England a well-sited array makes around 950–1,000kWh a year for every kWp. The permitted-development size of about 1.8kWp therefore makes roughly 1,700kWh a year.

Is there VAT on a garden solar installation?

Professionally installed solar is zero-rated for VAT until 31 March 2027. Panels and frames you buy to fit yourself carry 20% VAT.