40.8

Risk Grade

Good

Newberry earns B grade as a rural midlands county with moderate compliance (standard CUP), low saturation, and stable trajectory; Newberry College adds a minor institutional presence that creates mild aesthetic sensitivity but does not translate to opposition; legacy industrial land-use culture is a positive factor

Assessment Snapshot

Population

38440

State Rank

#13

Compliance

36%

Trajectory

Moratorium Status

✓ No Active Moratorium

No specific moratorium information available.

Ordinance & Regulations

Setback Requirements

150 ft from residential structures; 75 ft from road ROW; 50 ft from property lines

Zoning Mechanism

CUP via Newberry County Planning Commission; County Council final approval for >10 MW

Acreage Caps

None established

Spacing Rules

Not specified

Size Restrictions

None formal

Board Sentiment & Political Risk

Sentiment Analysis

Supportive

Basis for Assessment

Rural midlands county with modest college-town character; county council views solar as economic development; pulp/paper industrial heritage creates land-use acceptance; two operating projects confirm process; Duke Energy Carolinas active PPA partner; Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperative supports distributed solar

Political Risk Factors

Stable

Board Members

County Council Chair Henry Livingston | R | Term 2024–2028 Council Member Buddy Livingston | R | Term 2022–2026 Council Member Caldwell Stoney | R | Term 2024–2028 Council Member Travis Shealy | R | Term 2022–2026

Grid, Utilities & State Context

Grid Operator

SERC-SE; Duke Energy Carolinas

Utilities

Duke Energy Carolinas, Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperative (eastern Newberry)

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

Little Mountain Solar (~30 MW, 2020, Duke Energy Carolinas PPA); Prosperity Solar (~25 MW, 2022)

Denied/Withdrawn Projects

None on record

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Newberry County County, SC — Solar Development Risk Assessment