Solar permitting — Aiken County, South Carolina
228 indexed meetings (3 energy-related), 1 news item, 2 known opposition groups.
Active Moratorium; moratorium expires —confirm expiration with county planning. Permitting: CUP via Aiken County Planning Commission; 150-ft max / 75-ft min setbacks. Track record: Barnwell-Aiken Solar (~50 MW, 2021); Three Rivers Solar (~35 MW, 2022); Flat Branch Solar (~80 MW…
Key driver: Major SC midlands county adjacent to Savannah River Site; industrial energy culture; flat farmland available despite suburban growth near Aiken city; moderate compliance burden reflects developed UDC but historically accommodating process; solid solar track record
Permitting process
Local permitting pathway
CUP via Aiken County Planning Commission; County Council final approval for projects >10 MW
Setbacks & buffers
150 ft from residential; 75 ft from road ROW; SRS buffer zones per DOE (varies by zone)
Spacing requirements
Not specified
Size restrictions
None codified; managed via CUP/SUP conditions
Penalties & bonding
Total penalty: +28 | Active moratorium: +28
State-level permits & approvals
County zoning authority; no state solar preemption; special exception or conditional use permit typically required for utility-scale (>1 MW); decommissioning bond increasingly required
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State policy & grid context
State RPS & clean energy policy
No binding RPS | None | Energy Freedom Act (2019) addresses solar but no state RPS
State incentive programs
Federal ITC eligible; SC state income tax credit for solar (25% up to $35,000 for commercial); SC Energy Freedom Act net metering provisions
Grid & interconnection
SERC-SE; Duke Energy Progress; Dominion Energy SC
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Battery storage (BESS) P1 State-Default Permitting
No confirmed county BESS ordinance.
Local BESS ordinances & bylaws
County-level battery-storage status, safety requirements, and projects — each linked to a primary source.
Community opposition P1 2 tracked
Organized opposition signals on record for this county — petitions, community groups, and oppositional coverage — each linked to its primary source.
- What are data centers? And why do some in SC oppose living near them? Data center
- Nancy Mace Pushes For Statewide Data Center Moratorium 2 General
SitePath maintains the most complete community-opposition dataset available, refreshed continuously from primary sources.
Subscriber intel Subscribers
Researched for this county and available with a subscription:
- 🔒Project track record
- 🔒Developer intelligence
- 🔒Governing board
Energy-related meetings & dockets P1
Halo color matches the energy category tagged on each meeting.
- 2026-07-16 OtherData Center
Public comments were heard on the connection between power plant siting and data center development.
- 2026-06-16 OtherTransmission
Council approved minutes with amendments regarding a high voltage transmission line
- OtherData Center
$5,000,000 for new Aiken County Sheriff's Office headquarters $1,500,000 for relocated Belvedere Residential Collection Center land purchase and construction $400,000 for Residential Collection Center property acquisitions for the four (4)
State PSC dockets P1
No tracked activity yet — coverage expands weekly.
Local news P3
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