The state of solar development in Arkansas can be evaluated by key factors such as federal and local regulations, incentives, grid interconnection and integration. The current state of development activity in Arkansas is growing and can be seen in this analysis summarizing all facets of solar energy project development.
Arkansas Solar Development Activity
As of August 2023, Arkansas has 17 solar farms already operating with a current capacity of 346 MW1 and a current electricity generation of 7,663 MWh. Arkansas has a significant amount of operating solar farms compared to the other states in the US, and it has one the largest development of solar farms with 2 solar farms under construction of 355 MW capacity total, 13 planned solar farms with 1,058 MW capacity total, as well as 118 Utility-Scale Queued projects and 7 site control projects. Overall, if all planned and under construction farms go into operating status, Arkansas will expand its capacity by 1,413 MW. That’s a 39% growth in capacity for the state! In Arkansas, the average solar farm size is 97 acres producing 20.3 MW of electricity under ideal conditions. So a solar farm in Arkansas needs an average of 4.8 acres per MW of capacity.
Utility Scale Solar Vs Community Solar
Utility-scale solar refers to solar farms often created and managed by utilities, independent power producers, or energy firms. These projects aim to produce electricity on a large scale and deliver it directly into the distribution grid. These solar farms generally have more than 10 MW in capacity. Contrarily, community-scale solar refers to smaller-scale solar power facilities, under 10 MW, that are primarily intended to serve local communities or particular user groups. Below is a breakdown of solar farms and their development statuses...
Want to read the rest of the analysis? Download the complete white paper for free here.
