For UK landowners
There is no single "best" solar developer. The useful question is which developer's current requirements, evidence and approach fit your site. Start with a free initial land check, then compare any proposal carefully.
A static ranking can imply certainty that does not exist. Developer mandates, geographic focus, funding arrangements and grid strategies change. We do not publish uncheckable scores or award "verified" badges based only on marketing claims. Instead, we look for a practical match for the site and show landowners how to verify the evidence behind any proposal.
SolarGridCheck provides a first-stage screen and, where appropriate, an introduction. It does not replace the detailed work required from a developer, network operator, planning consultant, solicitor or land agent.
Enter the land location and acreage. The checker provides an indicative view using public grid and planning data; it is not a formal connection study or valuation.
We consider the site information against the kinds of locations, project types and land characteristics developers are currently seeking.
Where there appears to be a fit, we may introduce the enquiry to a suitable developer. Details are handled as set out in our privacy policy.
The developer must then investigate grid, planning, environmental, title and commercial constraints. You decide whether to continue and should take independent professional advice.
Companies that lease land for solar farms and battery storage give us their current site requirements, and those requirements are what the screen checks against. They change, but the pattern is consistent:
If your land fits a developer's stated requirements, we make an introduction and stop there; the developer runs its own grid, planning and title checks and makes any offer directly. Run the free site screen to see whether your land is near the grid capacity these developers are looking for.
Use the same evidence-led questions whether a developer contacts you directly or is introduced through SolarGridCheck. Keep copies of the answers and supporting documents so your professional advisers can check them.
Ask for the full legal name and company number of the entity that would sign the option or lease. Check its status and filing history on the Companies House register. If a special-purpose company will be used, ask who owns it, who stands behind its obligations and whether the agreement can be assigned.
Ask for project names, locations and planning references relevant to the scale and technology proposed for your land. Verify applications through the relevant council's register; the GOV.UK local planning authority finder can help you locate it. Planning consent alone is not proof that a project was financed, built or remains under the same ownership, so ask what happened next.
Establish who pays for surveys, the grid application, planning work and construction, and what approvals are still required. Ask which organisation makes investment decisions and what happens if funding or ownership changes. Treat broad statements about being "fully funded" as claims to verify, not guarantees.
Ask whether the grid position is a desktop estimate, a pre-application response or a formal connection offer. Request clarity on capacity, connection route, likely reinforcement, costs, timescales and conditions. A nearby substation does not by itself establish available capacity or commercial viability.
Compare more than the headline rent. Review exclusivity, option length and extensions, payment triggers, indexation or review terms, access, surveys, cabling, assignment, change of control, insurance, tax, reinstatement and decommissioning. Have your own renewable-energy solicitor and, where appropriate, land agent review the proposal.
For a fuller set of questions, read our solar developer vetting checklist. The information on this page is general guidance, not legal, financial or technical advice.
The site check and introduction service do not cost the landowner. SolarGridCheck is not tied to one developer. If a developer we introduce completes a project, the developer pays us. You should still compare the proposal, take independent advice and decide for yourself whether to proceed.