57.4

Risk Grade

Fair

Lexington earns a C grade reflecting the constraint of being Columbia's fastest-growing suburb; high compliance (55) driven by CUP with escalating conditions, heightened setbacks, and council conservatism; trajectory worsening at pace tied to rapid residential growth; three approved projects confirm a viable window still exists in western agricultural areas, but it is narrowing

Assessment Snapshot

Population

298750

State Rank

#26

Compliance

55%

Trajectory

Moratorium Status

✓ No Active Moratorium

No specific moratorium information available.

Ordinance & Regulations

Setback Requirements

250 ft from residential structures; 150 ft from road ROW; 100 ft from property lines; landscaping/screening buffer required; decommissioning bond required

Zoning Mechanism

CUP via Lexington County Planning Commission; County Council final approval required; decommissioning bond standard condition

Acreage Caps

None established

Spacing Rules

Not specified

Size Restrictions

Large-scale (>20 MW) faces heightened scrutiny in all residential-proximate zones

Board Sentiment & Political Risk

Sentiment Analysis

Mixed

Basis for Assessment

Columbia suburb dynamic dominates; Lexington County is politically conservative with large residential homeowner base resistant to industrial solar near subdivisions; council approves but conditions escalating; fastest-growing county (+3.8%) means viable land evaporates quickly; western rural areas remain the only viable zone

Political Risk Factors

Increasing

Board Members

County Council Chair Todd Cullum | R | Term 2024–2028 Council Member Darrell Hudson | R | Term 2022–2026 Council Member Scott Whetstone | R | Term 2024–2028 Council Member Beth Carrigg | R | Term 2022–2026 Council Member Bill Banning | R | Term 2024–2028

Grid, Utilities & State Context

Grid Operator

SERC-SE; Duke Energy Progress

Utilities

Duke Energy Progress, Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperative (western rural areas)

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

Swansea Solar (~45 MW, 2020, Duke Energy Progress PPA); Gilbert Solar (~35 MW, 2021); Pelion Solar (~30 MW, 2022)

Denied/Withdrawn Projects

Batesburg-Leesville Solar (50 MW, 2023, approved with major conditions after council vote 4-3 following neighbor petition with 800 signatures)

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Lexington County County, SC — Solar Development Risk Assessment