Risk Grade

Fair

Cookeville/Tennessee Tech regional Upper Cumberland hub; growing population; SB 2373 compliance framework active; suburban growth adding pressure on rural land supply for solar

Assessment Snapshot

Population

80245

State Rank

#41

Compliance

48%

Trajectory

Moratorium Status

✓ No Active Moratorium

No specific moratorium information available.

Ordinance & Regulations

Setback Requirements

Not codified; setback language being considered

Zoning Mechanism

CUP per SB 2373; decommissioning bond required; setback language pending

Acreage Caps

None formal

Board Sentiment & Political Risk

Sentiment Analysis

Mixed

Basis for Assessment

Tennessee Tech university community brings environmental awareness and NIMBY concern; commission business-pragmatist majority

Political Risk Factors

Worsening

Board Members

County Executive: Randy Porter | R | 2026; Commission: Republican supermajority

Grid, Utilities & State Context

Grid Operator

TVA

Utilities

Cookeville Electric Department, Tennessee Valley Authority (wholesale)

State Permitting Process

County zoning authority under SB 2373 (2022); conditional use permit or special exception required; decommissioning bond often required; setback standards increasingly codified at county level

State Incentives

Federal ITC eligible; no Tennessee state solar tax credit; TVA Green Power Switch program

Development Activity

Active/Completed Projects

Putnam County Solar I (~20 MW, 2022); Cookeville Solar (~15 MW, 2023)

Denied/Withdrawn Projects

None formally denied; 1 withdrawn 2024

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Putnam County, TN — Solar Development Risk Assessment