SolarRisk Tracker / Explore / SC / Chesterfield County

Chesterfield County County, SC — Solar Development Risk Assessment

Local solar ordinance barriers, board sentiment, and utility policies that affect development timelines and risk.

38
Risk Grade
Good
Northeastern SC rural county with Duke Energy Progress territory and multiple approved solar farms; flat Coastal Plain terrain ideal for utility-scale; low compliance burden; B grade reflects solid but not perfect process (CUP required) and modest saturation from 4 projects already approved
Assessment Snapshot
Population
44729
State Rank
#5
Compliance
28%
Trajectory
28

Moratorium Status

✓ No Active Moratorium
No specific moratorium information available.

Ordinance & Regulations

Setback Requirements
100 ft from residential; 50 ft from property lines (informal)
Zoning Mechanism
CUP via Chesterfield County Council; minimal planning review
Acreage Caps
None established
Spacing Rules
Not specified
Size Restrictions
None formal

Board Sentiment & Political Risk

Sentiment Analysis
Supportive
Basis for Assessment
Flat rural northeastern SC county; Duke Energy Progress active solar partner; county has strong track record approving solar CUPs; low-income county benefits from solar tax base additions; no opposition groups active
Political Risk Factors
Stable
Board Members
County Council Chair Morgan Locklear | R | Term 2024–2028; Council Member Jeff Covington | R | Term 2022–2026

Grid, Utilities & State Context

Grid Operator
SERC-SE; Duke Energy Progress
Utilities
Duke Energy Progress, Lynches River 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
Chesterfield Solar I (~40 MW, 2020, Duke Energy Progress); Pageland Solar (~55 MW, 2022); Cheraw Solar (~35 MW, 2023); Ruby Solar (~20 MW, 2024)
Denied/Withdrawn Projects
None on record

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Last verified: 2026-04-02 | SolarRisk Tracker | Data sources: Government records, utility filings, public meeting minutes