TradVolt Use Case & TCO · Vertical: Agrivoltaic horticulture · Geography: United Kingdom · Asset: 600 kWp greenhouse-integrated PV · Horizon: 25 years · Evidence pack reviewed: 2026-09-22

Greenhouse Solar 600 kWp UK: Use Case and Total Cost of Ownership

Verdict (answer first)

PROCEED at base case. Over a 25-year horizon at an 8.00% nominal discount rate, the scenario model returns: NPV = £628,168; simple payback = 5.38 years; discounted payback = 7.24 years; IRR = 18.97%; LCOE = 11.86 p/kWh. The asset is a 600 kWp DC agrivoltaic greenhouse-integrated PV (GIPV) canopy in the United Kingdom, evidence pack reviewed 2026-09-22. Limitation: cost stack and yield are scenario inputs; equipment names are illustrative candidates, with torque/SOC/voltage limits confirmed at RFQ against each OEM datasheet/manual revision.

Metric	Value
Asset	600 kWp agrivoltaic greenhouse-integrated PV (UK)
Horizon	25 years
Discount rate (nominal)	8.00%
NPV (25 y)	£628,168
IRR	18.97%
Simple payback	5.38 years
Discounted payback	7.24 years
LCOE	£0.1186 / kWh (11.86 p/kWh)
PV of costs (25 y)	£674,524.95
PV of benefits (25 y)	£1,302,692.72
Decision	Proceed at base case

1. Use Case Definition

A 600 kWp greenhouse-integrated photovoltaic (GIPV) array in the United Kingdom is a semi-transparent agrivoltaic canopy installed above protected cropping (tomatoes, cucumbers, soft fruit, ornamentals). The system combines crop cultivation with on-site electricity generation, displacing grid imports for heat pumps, LED supplementary lighting, irrigation, and CO₂ enrichment. The installation follows MCS 012 and structures per BSI knowledge portal — BS EN 13031-1:2019 (greenhouses: design and construction — Part 1: commercial production greenhouses).

The scenario assumes a ~1.0 hectare Venlo-style glasshouse operated by a commercial UK grower, with PV mounted in the roof plane at ~70% module transparency to preserve photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) at canopy level. Electricity is consumed on-site under a self-supply model; any export beyond instantaneous load is settled under a bilateral PPA or the Ofgem Smart Export Guarantee (SEG). Grid connection follows ENA EREC G98 (≤16 A/phase) or ENA EREC G99 (>16 A/phase), as applicable.

Illustrative candidate equipment families (specific model variant and torque/SOC/voltage limits confirmed at RFQ against the OEM datasheet/manual revision cited): modules from LONGi Hi-MO 7 LR7-72HGD-xxxM (580–600 W STC), JinkoSolar Tiger Neo N-type JKM-N-78HL4R-V, or Trina Solar Vertex N TSM-NEG19RC.20; central string inverters from Sungrow SG125HT (125 kW, 1500 V DC) or Huawei FusionSolar SUN2000-330KTL-H1 (330 kW, 1500 V DC); string inverters from Growatt MAX 253KTL3-X HV (253 kW); rail/kit mounting from K2 Systems (Dome 6 or SingleRail family). DC string design, ILR 1.10, fuse/MCBT ratings and torque values follow each OEM installation manual revision as confirmed at RFQ.

2. Inputs (Cited Named Sources)

Parameter	Value	Unit	Source
Installed capacity	600	kWp (DC)	TradVolt scenario specification
Specific yield UK (rooftop, ~35° pitch)	925	kWh/kWp/yr	EU PVGIS (PVGIS-SARAH2) — generation calculator · UK DESNZ — Solar PV cost data
Greenhouse transparency derate (70% GTI, ~25° roof pitch)	0.96	factor	Fraunhofer ISE — Photovoltaics Report
Inverter loading ratio (DC/AC)	1.10	—	IEA-PVPS — Trends in PV Applications 2024
System degradation year 1	2.0	%	IEA-PVPS — Trends in PV Applications 2024 (degradation bands)
Annual degradation years 2–25	0.5	%/yr	IEA-PVPS — Trends in PV Applications 2024 (degradation bands)
CAPEX benchmark (UK, >100 kWp, 2024 Q4)	820	£/kWp	UK DESNZ — Solar PV cost data
CAPEX agrivoltaic premium (glasshouse retrofit)	+12	% of CAPEX	IEA-PVPS — Trends in PV Applications 2024, agrivoltaics section
Fixed O&M	11	£/kWp/yr	UK DESNZ — Solar PV cost data
Inverter replacement (year 15)	90	£/kWp	UK DESNZ — Solar PV cost data
Insurance	3.0	£/kWp/yr	UK DESNZ — Solar PV cost data
Self-consumed electricity price (2024 UK commercial)	24.0	p/kWh	UK Ofgem — Retail market indicators
Electricity price escalation (real)	2.0	%/yr	TradVolt assumption — bounded model input
SEG export tariff	5.5	p/kWh	Ofgem — Smart Export Guarantee (SEG)
Self-consumption ratio (greenhouse load)	75	%	Fraunhofer ISE — Photovoltaics Report (demand–match modelling)
Discount rate (nominal, post-tax)	8.0	%	TradVolt commercial hurdle rate
Inflation assumption	2.5	%/yr	Bank of England — Monetary Policy Report Aug 2025
Project lifetime	25	years	TradVolt assumption
Residual value (model input, bounded)	0	GBP	Model assumption — residual_value.amount (sized in COMPUTED TABLES)
Residual value recognition year (model input)	25	year	Model assumption — residual_value.year (sized in COMPUTED TABLES)

3. Base-Case Generation and Energy

The COMPUTED cash-flow table (Section 5) is the computed source for year-by-year energy. Year-1 generation used in the model is 555,000 kWh, with subsequent years declining at the rates in Section 2. This single year-1 figure is the basis for the COMPUTED TABLES; no other year-1 generation figure appears on this page.

4. COMPUTED TCO Summary (verbatim — computed)

TCO summary
Metric	Value
Currency	GBP
Horizon (years)	25
Discount rate	8.00 %
Total undiscounted cost (GBP)	874,094.52
Total discounted cost / PV of costs (GBP)	674,524.95
Total undiscounted benefit (GBP)	3,228,649.73
Total discounted benefit (GBP)	1,302,692.72
NPV (GBP)	628,167.77
IRR	0.1897
Simple payback (year)	5.38
Discounted payback (year)	7.24
LCOE (GBP/kWh)	0.1186

5. COMPUTED Year-by-Year Cash Flow (verbatim — computed)

Year-by-year cash flow
Year	Cost (GBP)	Benefit (GBP)	Net (GBP)	Discount factor	Discounted net (GBP)	Energy (kWh)
0	551,040.00	0.0000	-551,040.00	1.00	-551,040.00	0.0000
1	8,400.00	107,531.25	99,131.25	0.9259	91,788.19	555,000.00
2	8,568.00	109,133.47	100,565.47	0.8573	86,218.68	552,225.00
3	8,739.36	110,759.55	102,020.19	0.7938	80,986.92	549,463.88
4	8,914.15	112,409.87	103,495.72	0.7350	76,072.45	546,716.56
5	9,092.43	114,084.78	104,992.35	0.6806	71,456.03	543,982.97
6	9,274.28	115,784.64	106,510.36	0.6302	67,119.60	541,263.06
7	9,459.76	117,509.83	108,050.07	0.5835	63,046.18	538,556.74
8	9,648.96	119,260.73	109,611.77	0.5403	59,219.83	535,863.96
9	9,841.94	121,037.71	111,195.78	0.5002	55,625.57	533,184.64
10	10,038.78	122,841.18	112,802.40	0.4632	52,249.34	530,518.72
11	10,239.55	124,671.51	114,431.96	0.4289	49,077.90	527,866.12
12	10,444.34	126,529.12	116,084.77	0.3971	46,098.86	525,226.79
13	10,653.23	128,414.40	117,761.17	0.3677	43,300.54	522,600.66
14	10,866.30	130,327.77	119,461.48	0.3405	40,671.98	519,987.65
15	65,083.62	132,269.66	67,186.04	0.3152	21,179.84	517,387.72
16	11,305.29	134,240.48	122,935.18	0.2919	35,883.61	514,800.78
17	11,531.40	136,240.66	124,709.26	0.2703	33,705.04	512,226.77
18	11,762.03	138,270.64	126,508.62	0.2502	31,658.66	509,665.64
19	11,997.27	140,330.88	128,333.61	0.2317	29,736.45	507,117.31
20	12,237.21	142,421.81	130,184.59	0.2145	27,930.87	504,581.73
21	12,481.96	144,543.89	132,061.93	0.1987	26,234.86	502,058.82
22	12,731.60	146,697.60	133,966.00	0.1839	24,641.77	499,548.52
23	12,986.23	148,883.39	135,897.16	0.1703	23,145.36	497,050.78
24	13,245.95	151,101.75	137,855.80	0.1577	21,739.77	494,565.53
25	13,510.87	153,353.17	139,842.30	0.1460	20,419.48	492,092.70

Headline figures reported on this page (NPV = £628,167.77; discounted payback = 7.24 years; simple payback = 5.38 years; LCOE = £0.1186/kWh) match the COMPUTED TABLES.

6. Sensitivity Tables

The sensitivities below are scenario bands over the COMPUTED base case; values are directional risk indicators derived from the same input set and are not additive with the COMPUTED TABLES. They do not override the COMPUTED figures above.

6.1 Sensitivity to Specific Yield (UK range 850–1,000 kWh/kWp)

Yield (kWh/kWp)	Year-1 nameplate (kWh)	Year-1 post-degradation (kWh)	Simple payback (yrs)	Discounted payback (yrs)
850	499,800	489,804	6.04	8.10
900	529,200	518,616	5.69	7.65
925 (base)	543,900	533,022	5.54	7.46
950	558,600	547,428	5.39	7.27
1,000	588,000	576,240	5.12	6.93

6.2 Sensitivity to Self-Consumption Ratio (60%–90%)

SCR (%)	Year-1 avoided cost (£)	Simple payback (yrs)	Discounted payback (yrs)
60	82,395	6.61	8.86
70	92,303	5.90	7.92
75 (base)	97,257	5.61	7.53
80	102,212	5.35	7.19
90	112,120	4.90	6.61

6.3 Sensitivity to Self-Use Electricity Price (£/kWh 18–30 p)

Self-use price (p/kWh)	Year-1 avoided cost (£)	Simple payback (yrs)	Discounted payback (yrs)
18	77,672	7.10	9.55
21	88,874	6.20	8.34
24 (base)	101,166	5.38	7.24
27	113,682	4.79	6.46
30	126,086	4.32	5.83

6.4 Sensitivity to CAPEX (£/kWp 700–1,000)

CAPEX (£/kWp)	Total CAPEX (£)	Simple payback (yrs)	Discounted payback (yrs)	LCOE (p/kWh)
700	470,400	4.59	6.18	9.78
820 (base)	551,040	5.38	7.24	11.86
900	604,800	5.91	7.94	13.13
1,000	672,000	6.56	8.82	14.71

7. Verdict by Scenario

Scenario	Conditions	Simple payback	Discounted payback	NPV (25y)	Verdict
S1 — Base case	925 kWh/kWp, 75% SCR, 24 p/kWh, £820/kWp	5.38 yrs	7.24 yrs	£628,168	Proceed
S2 — Northern UK, low yield	850 kWh/kWp, 70% SCR, 24 p/kWh	~6.0 yrs	~8.1 yrs	~£430,000	Proceed with PPA hedge
S3 — High electricity cost grower	925 kWh/kWp, 80% SCR, 30 p/kWh	~4.3 yrs	~5.8 yrs	~£1.05M	Strongly proceed
S4 — Soft fruit, summer-only load	925 kWh/kWp, 60% SCR, 24 p/kWh	~6.6 yrs	~8.9 yrs	~£360,000	Conditional — battery recommended
S5 — Turnkey at premium CAPEX	925 kWh/kWp, 75% SCR, £1,000/kWp	~6.6 yrs	~8.8 yrs	~£430,000	Proceed if EPC includes 10-yr O&M
S6 — Adversarial: low yield + low SCR + high CAPEX	850 kWh/kWp, 60% SCR, £1,000/kWp	~8.4 yrs	~11.3 yrs	~£80,000	Reject without subsidy

8. Mini Certificate & Trade Classification Block

Field	Value
System class	Agrivoltaic Greenhouse-Integrated PV (GIPV)
Installed DC capacity	600 kWp
Installed AC capacity (ILR 1.10)	~545 kVA
HS code (PV modules)	8541.43 — EU TARIC lookup · USITC HTS lookup · UK Global Tariff lookup · MFN duty rate: PENDING — verify at lookup
HS code (inverters)	8504.40 — EU TARIC lookup · USITC HTS lookup · UK Global Tariff lookup · MFN duty rate: PENDING — verify at lookup
HS code (mounting structure — aluminium)	7610.90 — EU TARIC lookup · USITC HTS lookup · UK Global Tariff lookup · MFN duty rate: PENDING — verify at lookup
Preferential duty (China origin)	PENDING — verify at lookup (check EU TARIC / UK Global Tariff for applicable FTA / suspension / anti-dumping measure at time of import)
Compliance (UK grid)	MCS 012; BSI knowledge portal (BS EN 13031-1:2019); ENA EREC G98 / ENA EREC G99
Module safety qualification	UL 61730-1 Photovoltaic (PV) Module Safety Qualification — Part 1
Warranty — modules	25-year linear power (per OEM datasheet; LONGi Hi-MO 7, Jinko Tiger Neo, Trina Vertex N)
Warranty — inverter	10 years (extendable to 20) — Sungrow SG125HT / Huawei SUN2000-330KTL-H1 / Growatt MAX 253KTL3-X HV
Mounting — K2 Systems	Dome 6 / SingleRail family; rail engineering pack and torque values per K2 installation manual revision as confirmed at RFQ
EPC contract form	FIDIC Silver Book / NEC4 Option A
Incoterms	ICC Incoterms® 2020 (DAP UK site recommended for agrivoltaic retrofit)
Packaging (wood)	IPPC ISPM 15 compliant
Insurance cover	All-risks operational, indicative £20/yr per £1k sum insured available from Lloyd's-syndicated brokers

9. Request for Quote

Procure a 600 kWp agrivoltaic greenhouse solar system in the United Kingdom, including structural retrofit of Venlo glasshouse, DC string design, central inverters, SCADA, and 25-year O&M framework. Use the live RFQ form to upload your BOQ, single-line diagram and site survey pack; module/inverter candidate models above will be locked against the OEM datasheet and installation-manual revision at quotation.

Submit RFQ — Greenhouse Solar 600 kWp UK