42.8

Risk Grade

Good

Major California solar hub with Mojave Desert location and DRECP DFA coverage enabling large-scale utility-scale development; LADWP and SCE territory provides multiple utility interconnection pathways; extensive existing capacity (>2,000 MW installed + approved pipeline); oil/gas legacy county politically amenable to energy infrastructure; saturation risk building as transmission capacity becomes constrained; still B-grade due to continued capacity headroom and favorable permitting

Assessment Snapshot

Population

909235

State Rank

Compliance

30%

Trajectory

Moratorium Status

✓ No Active Moratorium

No specific moratorium information available.

Ordinance & Regulations

Setback Requirements

150 ft from occupied residences; 50 ft from property lines; additional agricultural buffer in Kern County solar ordinance

Zoning Mechanism

Conditional Use Permit (CUP) per Solar Energy Ordinance; DRECP DFA streamlines Mojave Desert siting on federal land; CEQA review required; LADWP/SCE territory split

Acreage Caps

None — no county acreage cap

Spacing Rules

None specified

Size Restrictions

Projects >1 MW require CUP; DRECP DFA projects on federal land use streamlined process

Board Sentiment & Political Risk

Sentiment Analysis

Generally supportive — oil/gas heritage county transitioning to energy diversity; county supervisors supportive of energy sector employment; DRECP alignment reduces friction for desert projects

Basis for Assessment

County supervisor votes; planning commission records; DRECP BLM ROW approvals; CA Energy Commission siting records; CAISO interconnection queue

Political Risk Factors

Stable

Board Members

Phillip Peters | R | 2026; Zack Scrivner | R | 2028; Evan Von Stroh | R | 2026; David Couch | R | 2028; Leticia Perez | D | 2026

Grid, Utilities & State Context

Grid Operator

CAISO — LADWP Balancing Authority (Mojave area); SCE territory (eastern Kern)

Utilities

Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) — western and northern Kern, Southern California Edison (SCE) — Mojave and eastern Kern; LADWP — Tehachapi corridor

State Permitting Process

County zoning + CEQA review required; CEC siting jurisdiction for projects >50 MW on state/federal land; Coastal Commission review for coastal zone; DRECP DFAs streamline desert county permitting

State Incentives

Federal ITC eligible; California Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP) for storage; CA Renewables Portfolio Standard procurement; CPUC approved procurement programs

Development Activity

Active/Completed Projects

Mojave Solar Park (BrightSource CSP, 250 MW, 2014); Desert Sunlight (550 MW, First Solar, 2015, partially in Kern); Rosamond Solar (various phases, ~400 MW total, multiple developers); Pacific Crest Solar (150 MW, 2022); multiple Tehachapi Pass wind/solar hybrid projects; large pipeline of additional utility-scale approvals

Denied/Withdrawn Projects

None confirmed — several projects modified during permitting but no outright denials

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Kern County, CA — Solar Development Risk Assessment