Solar energy system installations influence lower than 1 % of Arkansas’ ag land
by John Lovett
Fayetteville AR (SPX) Jun 03, 2025
Giant-scale solar energy arrays occupy about 0.2 % of agricultural land in Arkansas, in keeping with an evaluation by the College of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.
Photo voltaic vitality manufacturing is more and more getting used to satisfy each vitality wants and nil internet emissions targets inside the US. Arkansas is following this development with a number of utility-scale photo voltaic vitality manufacturing techniques inbuilt 2023 and 2024, and extra scheduled to return on-line within the following years. This has raised some considerations over the displacement of agricultural land for non-food manufacturing functions.
“With the Arkansas economic system extra reliant on agriculture in comparison with the nation and surrounding states, diversion of agricultural land to different makes use of attracts producer and client curiosity,” mentioned Mike Popp, Harold F. Ohlendorf Professor of agricultural economics and agribusiness and co-author of a lately launched truth sheet titled “Agricultural Land Footprint of Photo voltaic Photovoltaic Installations in Arkansas.”
Whereas usually thought-about to have minimal influence on crop costs, different questions on proximal actual property worth impacts, publicity to climate danger and land restoration concerns exist, the actual fact sheet famous.
By 2026, there can be 15 counties in Arkansas, principally within the agricultural-dominated Delta, with utility-scale photo voltaic arrays. Utility-scale is outlined as 20 megawatts or bigger. Presently, 11 counties have these large-scale photo voltaic tasks on lands outlined by a U.S. Division of Agricultural census as agricultural land. 4 extra utility-scale tasks are scheduled by way of 2026, together with one in Grant County on land thought-about “woodland or timberland areas.”
Utilizing info gathered from the U.S. Power Data Administration, the researchers present that utility-scale photo voltaic arrays will occupy 0.2 % of the state’s 13.7 million acres of agricultural land underneath present projections by way of 2026. In counties the place these bigger photo voltaic arrays are used, land use ranges from 0.2 to 1.7 % of agricultural land.
The utility-scale photo voltaic tasks vary from as much as 445 acres for a 50-megawatt website to as much as 2,670 acres for a 300-megawatt website.
As of 2023, the state had about 15,000 megawatts {of electrical} producing capability, with pure gasoline, coal, nuclear and different vitality sources like hydropower, photo voltaic and wind. In response to the research, as much as 133,500 acres of land could be required throughout the state to double the state’s electrical producing capability with photo voltaic, offsetting demand for energy from pure gasoline, coal, nuclear and hydropower through the day.
“Even underneath this excessive stage of photo voltaic growth, which is unlikely to occur, photo voltaic would use lower than 1 % of the 13.7 million acres of agricultural land,” Popp mentioned.
Popp is a school member with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the analysis arm of the Division of Agriculture, and the Dale Bumpers School of Agricultural, Meals and Life Sciences.
Photo voltaic’s development
Photo voltaic vitality era has almost doubled in effectivity prior to now decade. To supply 1 megawatt – sufficient to energy roughly 150-200 houses yearly – about 5.5 acres of land is required, in keeping with a 2022 research cited by the authors. In contrast, a 2013 research confirmed that 1 megawatt of photo voltaic vitality manufacturing required about 9 acres of land.
The variety of photo voltaic arrays in Arkansas has additionally grown quickly in recent times, with 1,100 megawatts added in 2024 and one other 400 megawatts scheduled for this 12 months.
In response to USDA knowledge cited by the researchers, photo voltaic tasks have eliminated lower than 0.05 % of land from agricultural functions nationwide.
Agrivoltaics
With about 28,000 acres of agricultural land comprised of irrigation reservoirs, Popp mentioned floating photo voltaic arrays have grow to be an attention-grabbing space for analysis to lower influence on agricultural land use.
A number of different alternatives exist for solar energy techniques to combine with agriculture, referred to as “agrivoltaics,” Popp mentioned. Combining photo voltaic installations with sheep grazing and honeybee administration are generally cited examples of agrivoltaics.
Most well-liked lands
Non-public landowners typically lease land for photo voltaic growth, typically over a 30-year contract, the research defined. Voluntary photo voltaic land leases vary from $450 to $2,500 per acre with a choice for cleared, leveled or southward sloping land that aren’t wetlands.
“Previous price traits and future projections showcase that utility-scale tasks to be the least-cost renewable vitality supply,” the research states. “As such, growth of this sector is anticipated. With cautious planning, such techniques can result in financial and environmental advantages with minimal unfavorable agricultural land use implications.”
Authors of the research included Travis Wagher, a Public Coverage Program Ph.D. pupil on the College of Arkansas; Hunter Goodman, assistant professor with the Division of Agriculture’s Cooperative Extension Service in the neighborhood, skilled and financial growth division; Shelby Rider, program affiliate for the experiment station within the agricultural economics and agribusiness division; and Yi Liang, an affiliate professor of organic and agricultural engineering for the Division of Agriculture and the College of Arkansas’ School of Engineering.
Photo voltaic on poultry farms
Popp and colleagues within the agricultural economics and agribusiness division and the USDA’s Financial Analysis Service have additionally lately printed a research in Agricultural Finance Overview inspecting financing choices for photo voltaic funding on poultry farms.
Utilizing their Poultry Photo voltaic Evaluation determination assist software program, they confirmed {that a} 10-year notice bundled with a second mortgage that’s repaid utilizing revenue tax credit over the course of 1 to 5 years, resulted in a decrease break-even electrical energy price whereas addressing money circulation and borrowing capability considerations. An extended 20-year notice additional eased money circulation points at the price of much less favorable leverage and internet current worth, the research concluded.
Analysis Report:Agricultural Land Footprint of Solar Photovoltaic Installations in Arkansas
Associated Hyperlinks
Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station
All About Solar Energy at SolarDaily.com
