Through the Carolinas Development Assistance & Siting Hub (DASH) project, the NC Clean Energy Technology Center (NCCETC) is working to educate local decision makers on renewable energy siting and permitting in North and South Carolina. The Center aims to develop model ordinances that will serve as a starting point for local government officials to implement in their communities when it comes to large-scale renewable energy development.

To gather balanced input about how this ordinance can best serve local decision makers, NCCETC hosted the NC Utility-Scale Solar and Storage: Model Ordinance Stakeholder Engagement Kickoff on October 9, 2025. The Center introduced the model ordinance development process and sought stakeholder feedback in identifying areas of concern in existing county ordinances.

The meeting began with an overview of the Carolinas DASH project, which is funded through the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Reliable Energy Siting through Technical Engagement and Planning (R-STEP) grant. The project’s main efforts are community engagement, resource development, and education and technical assistance. The Center can provide technical assistance services including one-on-one consultations, educational presentations for local officials and communities, ordinance review and development support, and research assistance. Requests for technical assistance can be submitted at the bottom of the Carolinas DASH website.

The Carolinas DASH website recently launched an ordinance database that covers existing county-level solar, storage, and wind ordinances in North and South Carolina. Policy Analyst Cleo Carter gave an overview of the database and highlighted the lack of existing energy storage ordinances within South Carolina.

Carter then discussed the current state of solar and storage permitting, detailing federal policies, state policies, and county ordinances that intersect with solar and storage development. Currently, the federal policies that intersect with permitting include the Clean Water Act (CWA), Endangered Species Act (ESA), National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA), and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).

In North Carolina, any project that involves a state action, uses public funds or state land, and has a potential environmental impact is subject to the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA). This means that the state agency considering the activity must prepare an environmental analysis and submit it to the Environmental Review Clearinghouse. The Clearinghouse distributes copies of the environmental analysis to the relevant state and regional agencies for review, and those agencies then provide comments to ensure potential impacts are considered. The Clearinghouse sends those comments to the project agency and recommends if further action is needed to comply with SEPA. When explaining this process, Carter pointed out that there is no formal notice to the counties from the state that these processes are happening.

The Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) process was also discussed, which allows the North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC) to review and approve the planned facility and solicit community feedback. However, this process is not involved in siting or permitting matters at the county level.

Starting November 1, 2025, decommissioning requirements for utility-scale solar projects will take effect. The requirements will now apply to new solar projects over 2 megawatts. Project owners must register and file decommissioning plans with the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), including the decommissioning cost estimate.

Carter gave a description of the Center’s 2016 model ordinance in North Carolina, which classified projects into three levels. Level one is residential, level two is commercial, and level three is classified as utility-scale projects. The Carolinas DASH project is geared toward level three, utility-scale projects.

There have been some policy changes to note between 2016 and 2025 regarding ordinances. In 2017, the NC Competitive Procurement of Renewable Energy law shifted project economics to incentivize larger developments. In 2021, the NC land use law modernized language and clarified ordinance provisions. Then, in 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) saw record investments in clean energy through tax credits, although this ended in 2025. In 2023, North Carolina released solar decommissioning requirements.

Lastly, the viability of storage has increased as it is now more reliable and cost effective, compared to 2016. Storage is not included in Federal policies but is cited in the National Fire Protection Association and Underwriters Laboratories codes and standards for storage.

Following the information given in the presentation, participants were given 2016 model ordinance recommendations along with analysis and trends collected by the Carolinas DASH team regarding NC and SC ordinances and asked to discuss the following three questions:

1. Are the fields listed an exhaustive list?
2. What stands out to you the most, and what gives you the biggest pause when looking at an ordinance?
3. What topics should be considered in future working group meetings?

The stakeholders were given about 15 minutes to discuss each question with their table groups, and then each group shared their thoughts with the room.

Regarding the fields in the 2016 model ordinance, groups noted the lack of battery storage specifics, and recommended the training and local support for fire marshals and responding agencies. Cypress Creek Renewables Manager of External Affairs Mike Storch noted that it would be useful to have a way to join the clearinghouse process, possibly by stating in the ordinance that state agencies must provide context about a project when it comes to the county. Some groups questioned what rules apply to large developments like data centers, and if those should be covered in the ordinance. Overall, many of the stakeholders agreed that decommissioning rules, emergency responder engagement, community benefit evaluation, wildlife protection, water source protection, and environmental impact were all crucial topics to include in a new model ordinance.

The stakeholders discussed the components that stood out the most to them in the 2016 ordinance. They included setback rules, fencing rules, and screening. Stakeholders shared that the developer community has been agreeing with larger setbacks than those stated in the 2016 ordinance. Language that allows for discretion based on site conditions would be useful to include in the model ordinance to encourage responsible land use. Granville County Planning Director Barry Baker said that regulations should be quantifiable to help give decision makers the necessary information about a large development.

Groups also shared that community participation needs to be in the ordinance to ensure a developer holds a community information meeting or engages with the community in some way before submitting a project application. One of the developers attending the meeting noted that rezoning is typically a red flag as it may be perceived as a politically oriented action.

Kilpatrick Energy Attorney Ben Smith said that processes should be streamlined from federal to state to county. “Essentially, how can we make it so that if you’re at a county level and you’re reviewing a proposal, you could see how this developer checked a federal box.” He suggested that when the Center creates the model ordinance, they should check other county level requirements to make note of any conflicts there may be outside of the typical permitting structure. However, Mike Storch pointed out that having blanket restrictions for all counties could make the ordinance more restrictive, as every area of the county might not be able to host a solar facility. Duke Energy Principal Stakeholder Engagement Manager Pamela Oakley-Lisk shared that it is important to have enough detail and clarify expectations in the ordinance so that a successful path can be identified from the beginning.

To close out the second discussion question, Kalland said that there are many different ways the Center can address these identified challenges. Through community engagement, education, and literature reviews, the Carolinas DASH project team can cover topics that might not be included in the ordinance, but may be topics that communities are concerned about. In addition, important topics that don’t fit into the model ordinance can be addressed in the ordinance appendices.

Lastly, the stakeholders discussed which topics should be considered in future working group meetings, and how those topics should be addressed. EnergyRe Project Manager Bruce Binney brought up the question of how information including research based reports can get into the hands of planning staff.

One stakeholder said, “In the future, storage should be the driver of this discussion, of the ordinance itself.” He noted that solar and storage have very distinct land uses, but they will be combined in the community’s eyes, for better or worse.

NC State Grange Agricultural Programs Coordinator Dewitt Hardee said, “As we think about these ordinances, think about the big picture—what makes sense about making the best use of the things we have in North Carolina. How can we make this process work so that it doesn’t cause division.”

Many stakeholders agreed that it is important to provide fact-based information on these processes, as there are concerns that can be weaponized against renewable energy developments when misinformation spreads. They emphasized the need for a repository where community members, developers, and decision makers can find immediate answers on topics included in a model ordinance.

The Carolinas DASH website is meant to serve as that repository, with numerous fact-based resources for navigating renewable energy project development, upcoming educational events, and an extensive FAQ section about siting and permitting. Technical assistance can also be requested on the site for those who need additional information.

The Stakeholder Engagement Kickoff was a necessary first step towards the creation of an updated NC solar and storage model ordinance. NCCETC members benefited from the expertise that attendees were able to provide throughout their discussions, which will help shape the work that the Carolinas DASH team is doing to ease the renewable energy siting and permitting process.