42.2

Risk Grade

Good

Central Valley county with flat agricultural land well-suited to utility-scale solar; lower population density than Fresno county to the north; PG&E transmission accessible; Williamson Act land adds process but not prohibitive; moderate solar saturation developing from active pipeline; politically receptive board; viable development county

Assessment Snapshot

Population

152941

State Rank

Compliance

35%

Trajectory

Moratorium Status

✓ No Active Moratorium

No specific moratorium information available.

Ordinance & Regulations

Setback Requirements

200 ft from occupied residences; 100 ft from property lines; 300 ft from school sites

Zoning Mechanism

Conditional Use Permit (CUP); CEQA review; Williamson Act contract non-renewal required for contracted land

Acreage Caps

None — no county acreage cap

Spacing Rules

None specified

Size Restrictions

Projects >1 MW require CUP; Williamson Act land requires NOC or cancellation process

Board Sentiment & Political Risk

Sentiment Analysis

Generally supportive — Central Valley agricultural community; county board supportive of solar on non-prime agricultural land; Hanford/Lemoore/Avenal economic base welcomes diversification

Basis for Assessment

County supervisor votes; planning commission hearings; CEQA filings; Kings County Farm Bureau input

Political Risk Factors

Stable

Board Members

Craig Pedersen | R | 2026; Richard Valle | D | 2028; Joe Neves | R | 2026; Richard Fagundes | R | 2028; Doug Verboon | R | 2026

Grid, Utilities & State Context

Grid Operator

CAISO — PG&E Balancing Authority

Utilities

Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E)

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

Kings River Solar (~25 MW, 2021); Lemoore Solar Farm (~18 MW, 2020); Avenal Solar (~30 MW, 2022); multiple mid-scale Central Valley projects

Denied/Withdrawn Projects

None confirmed

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Kings County, CA — Solar Development Risk Assessment