Overview

• Utility-scale solar arrays currently cover about 0.2 percent of Arkansas’s 13.7 million acres of agricultural land.
• Even if installed capacity doubles to 15,000 megawatts, solar would use less than one percent of farmland under extreme growth projections.
• By 2026, fifteen counties—mostly in the Arkansas Delta—are expected to host solar projects covering between 0.2 and 1.7 percent of local agricultural land.
• Innovations such as agrivoltaic systems with sheep grazing and floating solar over irrigation reservoirs enable dual land use to reduce impacts on crop production.
• Landowners can secure 30-year leases at $450 to $2,500 per acre, adding a reliable income stream as Arkansas adds over 1,500 megawatts of solar capacity through 2025.