68.4

Risk Grade

Poor

North Nashville suburb (Gallatin/Hendersonville); rapidly suburbanizing; MTE territory; agricultural land rapidly converting to residential; growing community resistance as suburban identity strengthens; trajectory rapidly worsening

Assessment Snapshot

Population

196281

State Rank

#52

Compliance

56%

Trajectory

Moratorium Status

✓ No Active Moratorium

No specific moratorium information available.

Ordinance & Regulations

Setback Requirements

Setback standards under active discussion 2025; 500 ft from residential proposed in draft

Zoning Mechanism

CUP per SB 2373; decommissioning bond required; setback standards being formalized; MTE coordination required

Acreage Caps

None formal; acreage limits under discussion

Board Sentiment & Political Risk

Sentiment Analysis

Worsening — strong suburban NIMBY

Basis for Assessment

Gallatin/Hendersonville rapidly suburbanizing; commission hearing significant anti-solar public comment; organized neighborhood opposition documented 2023–2024

Political Risk Factors

Rapidly Worsening

Board Members

County Executive: Anthony Holt | R | 2026; Commission: Republican supermajority; anti-solar sentiment documented in 2023-2024 commission record

Grid, Utilities & State Context

Grid Operator

TVA

Utilities

Middle Tennessee Electric (MTE), 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

Sumner County Solar I (~25 MW, 2021); Gallatin Solar (~20 MW, 2022)

Denied/Withdrawn Projects

One application denied 2024 (proximity to Hendersonville residential); one stalled

Explore the Full Tracker

View risk assessments for all 3,100+ US counties, compare states, and download detailed ordinance data for your solar development pipeline.

Launch SolarRisk Tracker

Sumner County, TN — Solar Development Risk Assessment