Nash County, NC — Solar Development Risk Assessment

No Moratorium

Nash County: setbacks per principal building requirements of applicable zoning district. 6 ft chain-link fence with barbed wire. 25 ft buffer. No scenic byway or historic site setback identified in Nash County. 34+ SUPs approved as of 2024 -- suggests developer-friendly track record.

Nash County Board of Adjustment/Board of Commissioners: Special Use Permit (SUP) or Conditional Use Permit (CUP).

Generally receptive — agricultural community; high solar saturation; active solar market

NE NC agricultural; Rocky Mount area; active solar; high saturation; county CUP; Duke Progress; Rocky Mount electric mixed

Stable

Full local control — no statewide preemption for siting and permitting of utility-scale solar. County Board of Commissioners issues Special Use Permit (SUP) or Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for utility-scale solar under county Unified Development Ordinance (UDO). All sizes subject to local zoning; no threshold for state takeover. NCUC Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) required for utility-owned generation; IPP developers selling to Duke/Dominion under PURPA or competitive procurement typically handle NCUC process through utility. NC DEQ: decommissioning plan registration required for ≥2 MW (SL 2023-58, eff. Nov 1 2025); DEQ rules (15A NCAC 01V) effective April 1, 2025. NC land use law (2021) modernized ordinance language and clarified solar provisions. N.C.G.S. §160D-107: counties may adopt temporary moratoria on solar permits (limited duration, must be reasonable). Davidson County: 24-month moratorium enacted Dec 17, 2024 (expires Dec 2026) while developing new solar ordinance. Halifax County: temporary moratorium Oct 2024 — expired Feb 2025; new ordinance provisions pending. Farmland preservation concerns are the dominant local issue — NC has lost significant prime farmland to solar. Grid: SERC throughout NC. Duke Energy Progress (eastern/central), Duke Energy Carolinas (western/piedmont/mountains), Dominion Energy NC (northeastern corner). NC EMCs serve rural areas as distribution cooperatives.

NC REPS (Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard): 12.5% by 2021 (met); Duke Energy Carolina/Progress subject to ongoing carbon plan compliance (100% clean by 2050). Duke Energy CPRE (Competitive Procurement of Renewable Energy) program: ongoing solicitations. NC CPCN process for utility-owned facilities via NCUC. Community solar/Green Source Advantage: Duke Energy program for large commercial customers. Net metering under Duke Energy 'Smart Saver' program (NCUC approved 3-year glide path 2025). Property tax PILOT: county-negotiated agreements common. Utility: Duke Energy Progress (eastern/central NC); Duke Energy Carolinas (western/Piedmont NC); NCEMC and local EMCs serve rural areas.

Multiple utility-scale solar farms | 34+ SUPs approved as of 2024 (per Nash County Planning Board member Chris Sandifer testimony at Iredell County ZBA). Nash County SUP definition: facility converting solar for off-site consumption. Most developed solar county in central-eastern NC. 29 solar systems contributing to Nash County's status as highest solar output county in NC (NCSEA/WHQR Apr 2023). Source: Iredell County ZBA minutes; NCSEA via WHQR Apr 2023

No confirmed NCUC (North Carolina Utilities Commission) CPCN denials for Nash County. NC DEQ USSP decommissioning registration required for ≥2 MW (effective Nov 1 2025).