39.8

Risk Grade

Good

Among SC's most distressed counties; negligible compliance risk; flat Coastal Plain terrain; strong county leadership incentive to approve; very low saturation; limited data due to remote rural status explains elevated uncertainty score

Assessment Snapshot

Population

8255

State Rank

Compliance

25%

Trajectory

Moratorium Status

✓ No Active Moratorium

No specific moratorium information available.

Ordinance & Regulations

Setback Requirements

50 ft from property lines (general); no solar-specific setback adopted

Zoning Mechanism

Simple CUP via County Council; minimal planning review; county planning capacity limited

Acreage Caps

None established

Spacing Rules

Not specified

Size Restrictions

None formal

Board Sentiment & Political Risk

Sentiment Analysis

Very Supportive

Basis for Assessment

Poorest county in SC; desperate for tax base additions; extremely rural with abundant flat farmland; county leadership actively solicits industrial and energy investment; no organized environmental or residential opposition groups

Political Risk Factors

Stable

Board Members

County Council Chair Bobby Carter | D | Term 2022–2026; Council Member Shedrick Martin | D | Term 2024–2028

Grid, Utilities & State Context

Grid Operator

SERC-SE; Dominion Energy South Carolina

Utilities

Dominion Energy South Carolina, Palmetto Electric Cooperative

State Permitting Process

County zoning authority; no state solar preemption; special exception or conditional use permit typically required for utility-scale (>1 MW); decommissioning bond increasingly required

State Incentives

Federal ITC eligible; SC state income tax credit for solar (25% up to $35,000 for commercial); SC Energy Freedom Act net metering provisions

Development Activity

Active/Completed Projects

Allendale Solar Farm (~25 MW, 2023, Dominion Energy SC area)

Denied/Withdrawn Projects

None on record

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Allendale County County, SC — Solar Development Risk Assessment