Farms are some of the best places to put solar. Pumps, cold rooms, packhouses, cellars and dairies use a lot of electricity during the day, which is exactly when solar produces, and the Western Cape’s sun is strong for most of the year. Thermo Group designs and installs larger solar systems for farms, wineries and agri-businesses across the province, outside the Cape Town metro as well as inside it.
Thinking about solar in Cape Town?
Free solar quotes, no obligation. Installation and City registration handled for you.
This guide explains what farm solar involves, how we size it, and how to get a quote.
Why solar suits farms
Three things make farms strong solar candidates. The loads are large, the daytime use is steady, and power outages and rising tariffs cost real money, whether in spoiled stock, missed irrigation or standing machinery. Solar reduces the bill, and batteries or a hybrid design protect the loads that cannot stop.
What farm solar usually powers
| Load | How solar helps |
|---|---|
| Irrigation pumps and boreholes | Pumping runs in daylight, so solar covers it directly. Needs a design that handles motor start-up current. |
| Cold rooms and packhouses | Refrigeration runs through the hot hours. Batteries or hybrid systems protect stored produce during outages. |
| Wine cellars | Cooling and crush season loads line up with summer sun. |
| Dairy parlours | Milk cooling, vacuum pumps and water heating are daily loads. |
| Workshops, sheds and homesteads | Steady daytime use on the same supply as the farm. |
Read more by farm type: Irrigation and borehole pumping, Cold rooms and packhouses, Wine estates and cellars, Dairy and livestock farms.
Types of farm solar system
- Grid-tied rooftop systems on sheds, packhouses and cellars. The simplest way to cut a daytime bill.
- Ground-mounted arrays where roofs are small or the load is large, often with tracking or tilt optimised for your usage.
- Hybrid and battery systems that keep critical loads running through load shedding and local outages.
- Solar pumping systems designed around the pump motor and the hours it runs.
How we size a farm system
We start with your electricity bills and the equipment that uses the most. We look at when it runs, how much it draws at start-up and what must keep running during an outage. Then we design the array, inverter and any batteries around those loads, rather than selling a standard package. You get a written quote showing what is included and the assumptions behind the payback.
Tax, approvals and compliance
A grid-tied system has to be registered before it is switched on. If your farm is supplied by Eskom, the application goes to Eskom, and if it is supplied by a municipality it goes to them. Either way you need an electrical Certificate of Compliance, and we handle the application and the certificate. Many farms and businesses can claim a tax allowance for solar under Section 12B of the Income Tax Act. The details change, so confirm what applies to you with your accountant before you commit.
Where we work
We cover the Cape Winelands, the Swartland and West Coast, the Overberg, the Garden Route and the Klein Karoo and Cederberg.
We focus on larger projects outside Cape Town. Very small residential jobs in remote areas are better served by a local installer, and we will say so honestly.
Maintenance
Farm systems work in dust, heat and wind. We offer maintenance plans and fault finding for the systems we install and for larger farm and commercial arrays, covering cleaning, inverter and battery checks and monitoring. See our solar maintenance service.
Frequently asked questions
Is solar worth it for a farm? For most farms with steady daytime loads, yes. The payback depends on how much of your consumption the system covers and what you pay per unit, which is why we model your actual bills.
Can solar run my irrigation pumps? Yes. We design around the pump motor, its start-up current and the hours it runs, either supplied from a grid-tied system or with a dedicated design.
Can solar protect my cold room from outages? Yes, if the system includes batteries or a hybrid design sized for the refrigeration load. We tell you honestly what can be backed up and for how long.
Do you work on farms supplied by Eskom? Yes. The registration goes to Eskom instead of a municipality, and we handle the process.
Get a solar quote for your farm
Send us a recent electricity bill and a few details about your site, such as roof or ground space, the equipment that runs the most, and whether you are supplied by Eskom or the municipality. Request a solar quote or read about our solar installations.