48.8

Risk Grade

Fair

C-grade reflects fast-growing Savannah suburb with rising trajectory risk; still more favorable than core metro counties due to large agricultural land base in northern portions; CUP process manageable but opposition growing as suburban growth continues

Assessment Snapshot

Population

64495

State Rank

#39

Compliance

40%

Trajectory

Moratorium Status

✓ No Active Moratorium

No specific moratorium information available.

Ordinance & Regulations

Setback Requirements

150 ft from residences; 100 ft from property lines; road setbacks per GDOT; vegetative screening and fence required in recent CUP approvals

Zoning Mechanism

CUP from Effingham County Board of Commissioners; planning commission advisory; public hearing required; community notification of adjacent landowners

Acreage Caps

No formal cap

Density Caps

None formally adopted

Spacing Rules

Not specified

Size Restrictions

None formal

Board Sentiment & Political Risk

Sentiment Analysis

Mixed; rural landowners in north receptive; suburban communities in south/central county increasingly vocal about solar farm proximity; Savannah metro growth spillover community standards applying

Basis for Assessment

Effingham County Commission minutes; Effingham Herald; Savannah Morning News; Georgia Power service territory data

Political Risk Factors

Increasing; rapid population growth (+8.7%) from Savannah metro bringing suburban homeowners; commission pro-development but increasingly fielding community concerns about solar near new subdivisions; trajectory similar to other fast-growing Georgia suburban counties

Board Members

Board of Commissioners | Damon Rahn | R | Term Expires: Unknown (Chair); Forrest Floyd | R | Term Expires: Unknown (District 1); Roger Burdette | R | Term Expires: Unknown (District 2); Jamie DeLoach | R | Term Expires: Unknown (District 3); Beth Helmly | R | Term Expires: Unknown (District 4); Phil Kieffer | R | Term Expires: Unknown (District 5) — 6-member body; Republican-majority; term dates not publicly listed

Grid, Utilities & State Context

Grid Operator

SERC / Georgia Power (Southern Company)

Utilities

Georgia Power, Savannah Electric and Power (wholly owned by Georgia Power)

State Permitting Process

County zoning authority; no state solar preemption; conditional use permit typically required for utility-scale (>1 MW)

State Incentives

Federal ITC eligible; no Georgia state solar tax credit; Georgia Power IRP solar procurement program

Development Activity

Active/Completed Projects

1–2 utility-scale projects in northern agricultural portions of county, 2020–2023; Savannah metro grid interconnection; combined ~40–60 MW estimated

Denied/Withdrawn Projects

None confirmed; some applications modified due to proximity to residential growth corridors

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Effingham County, GA — Solar Development Risk Assessment