Solar in Arkansas: payback, sun by city and utility-scale capacity
Arkansas pays back in 17.0 years at $3.00 a watt (rank 46 of 51), 3.5 years longer than the middle state. 1,372 kWh per kW (rank 26) at 12.84 ¢ (rank 47 from the top): sunshine drives it. Across 5 Arkansas cities, yearly output runs from 1,370 kWh per kW in Little Rock to 1,452 in Fort Smith. Jul is the best month at 143 kWh per kW and Dec the worst at 83. Utility-scale solar in Arkansas: 2,547 MW in 69 plants, 6.9% of 2025 generation; 3,763 MW more under construction or planned.
Arkansas: payback 17.0 years, rank 46 of 51
| Measure | Value | Rank of 51 | Median state |
|---|---|---|---|
| Output of 1 kW a year, kWh | 1,372 | 26 | 1,372 |
| Home price, ¢ per kWh | 12.84 | 47 | 15.37 |
| Value of 1 kW a year | $176 | 46 | $222 |
| Payback at $3.00 a watt | 17.0 years | 46 | 13.5 years |
EIA-861 (2024): 16,738 home net-metered systems in Arkansas, 11.3 per 1,000 accounts (rank 29), average 10.6 kW.
Arkansas utilities and solar payback
| Arkansas utility | Homes | Price ¢ | Value of 1 kW | Payback at $3.00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entergy Arkansas LLC | 608,362 | 12.97 | $178 | 16.9 yr |
| Carroll Electric Coop Corp | 101,154 | 12.25 | $168 | 17.8 yr |
| First Electric Coop Corp | 95,175 | 12.27 | $168 | 17.8 yr |
| Ozarks Electric Coop Corp | 72,076 | 13.03 | $179 | 16.8 yr |
| Arkansas Valley Elec Coop Corp | 54,372 | 13.33 | $183 | 16.4 yr |
| North Arkansas Elec Coop, Inc | 36,355 | 12.86 | $176 | 17.0 yr |
| City Water and Light Plant | 35,013 | 6.63 | $91 | 33.0 yr |
| City of North Little Rock | 34,984 | 12.23 | $168 | 17.9 yr |
| Conway Corporation | 30,979 | 8.29 | $114 | 26.4 yr |
| Craighead Electric Coop Corp | 25,326 | 11.99 | $165 | 18.2 yr |
| City of Bentonville | 25,103 | 11.65 | $160 | 18.8 yr |
| Southwest Arkansas E C C | 24,879 | 12.96 | $178 | 16.9 yr |
Sizes and prices per watt in Arkansas
| Arkansas kW | kWh a year | Value a year | Cost at $2.50 | At $3.00 | At $3.50 | t CO2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 5,486 | $704 | $10,000 | $12,000 | $14,000 | 2.5 |
| 6 | 8,230 | $1,057 | $15,000 | $18,000 | $21,000 | 3.7 |
| 8 | 10,973 | $1,409 | $20,000 | $24,000 | $28,000 | 4.9 |
| 10 | 13,716 | $1,761 | $25,000 | $30,000 | $35,000 | 6.2 |
| 12 | 16,459 | $2,113 | $30,000 | $36,000 | $42,000 | 7.4 |
| Arkansas $ per watt | 100% retail | 75% | 50% | 25% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2.00 | 11.4 | 15.1 | 22.7 | 45.4 |
| $2.50 | 14.2 | 18.9 | 28.4 | 56.8 |
| $3.00 | 17.0 | 22.7 | 34.1 | 68.1 |
| $3.50 | 19.9 | 26.5 | 39.7 | 79.5 |
| $4.00 | 22.7 | 30.3 | 45.4 | 90.9 |
Arkansas: 1,372 kWh/kW × 12.84 ¢ = 176 a year per kW; the 30% column (11.9 years at $3.00) is arithmetic only.
CSVNet metering and CO2 in Arkansas
EIA-861 (2024): 16,738 home net-metered systems in Arkansas, 11.3 per 1,000 accounts (rank 29), average 10.6 kW.
6 kW in Arkansas: 8,230 kWh a year displaces 3.7 t CO2 at 0.451 kg per kWh, +0.7 t against the average state.
Sun inside Arkansas: 5 cities, 6% apart
| Arkansas city | kWh per kW a year | Against state point | Sun, kWh/m2 a day | Payback at $3.00 | Residents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Little Rock | 1,370 | -0.1% | 5.16 | 17.1 | 202,739 |
| Fayetteville | 1,398 | +1.9% | 5.15 | 16.7 | 97,227 |
| Fort Smith | 1,452 | +5.9% | 5.24 | 16.1 | 89,496 |
| Jonesboro | 1,404 | +2.4% | 5.04 | 16.6 | 79,187 |
| Pine Bluff | 1,408 | +2.7% | 5.18 | 16.6 | 40,436 |
Arkansas state point 35.24, -92.74; city points Little Rock 34.73, -92.36; Fayetteville 36.07, -94.17; Fort Smith 35.35, -94.37; Jonesboro 35.82, -90.68; Pine Bluff 34.21, -92.02. Panel and method: solar method.
Output by month in Arkansas cities: 12 rows
| Arkansas month | Little Rock | Fayetteville | Fort Smith | Jonesboro | Pine Bluff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 87.6 | 89.2 | 93.2 | 84.7 | 87.9 |
| Feb | 92.2 | 93.8 | 93.8 | 88.3 | 96.1 |
| Mar | 107.9 | 113.0 | 122.9 | 115.5 | 123.3 |
| Apr | 120.5 | 126.2 | 127.5 | 130.0 | 126.6 |
| May | 136.8 | 135.4 | 139.6 | 146.1 | 137.2 |
| Jun | 142.5 | 135.0 | 144.1 | 146.2 | 142.6 |
| Jul | 139.4 | 140.8 | 155.9 | 143.6 | 145.3 |
| Aug | 135.1 | 143.2 | 145.8 | 141.7 | 139.7 |
| Sep | 127.1 | 127.7 | 127.3 | 126.7 | 124.6 |
| Oct | 108.3 | 117.8 | 122.7 | 111.0 | 117.2 |
| Nov | 95.9 | 92.0 | 95.1 | 90.1 | 91.2 |
| Dec | 76.6 | 83.7 | 84.1 | 80.2 | 76.4 |
Arkansas: 5 cities, best month 156 and worst 76 kWh per kW across them.
CSVBest and worst month in Arkansas: Jul 143, Dec 83 kWh per kW
| Arkansas month | kWh per kW | Price ¢ | Value per kW | kWh per kW per sun unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 88.9 | 11.28 | $10.03 | 0.81 |
| Feb | 85.9 | 11.64 | $10.00 | 0.79 |
| Mar | 116.8 | 12.59 | $14.71 | 0.77 |
| Apr | 127.5 | 13.65 | $17.40 | 0.75 |
| May | 129.3 | 13.19 | $17.05 | 0.74 |
| Jun | 142.5 | 13.37 | $19.05 | 0.72 |
| Jul | 143.1 | 13.26 | $18.98 | 0.70 |
| Aug | 135.1 | 13.28 | $17.94 | 0.70 |
| Sep | 117.3 | 13.79 | $16.18 | 0.72 |
| Oct | 108.5 | 13.26 | $14.39 | 0.76 |
| Nov | 94.1 | 13.22 | $12.44 | 0.79 |
| Dec | 82.9 | 12.33 | $10.22 | 0.81 |
Arkansas: December to February give 19% of a year (rank 35 of 51, 1 = most winter); the best month is 1.7 times the worst. Output per unit of sun is highest in Jan (0.81) and lowest in Jul (0.70); PVWatts lowers cell output when the panel is hot, and the sun angle changes with the season. Our runs use one fixed 14% loss figure for every place, so snow or soiling in Arkansas is not modelled separately.
Utility-scale solar in Arkansas: 2,547 MW
Arkansas: 2,547 MW of operable utility-scale solar in 69 plants across 35 counties (EIA-860, 2025), rank 16 of 51; 840 W per resident, rank 6. Solar made 6.9% of Arkansas's net generation in 2025 (EIA-923), rank 19, +0.1 points against the national share. Biggest plants: Flat Fork Solar in St Francis County, 200 MW (2025); Long Lake Solar, LLC in Phillips County, 200 MW (2025); Forgeview Solar in Mississippi County, 200 MW (2025). By county: Mississippi 526 MW, Crittenden 360 MW, Ashley 211 MW, St Francis 202 MW. Proposed: 2,759 MW under construction (12 plants) and 1,004 MW planned (10 plants); batteries 28 MW running and 1,100 MW proposed.
| Arkansas year | MW added | Cumulative share of today's MW |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 16 | 1% |
| 2020 | 108 | 5% |
| 2021 | 18 | 6% |
| 2022 | 116 | 10% |
| 2023 | 479 | 29% |
| 2024 | 955 | 66% |
| 2025 | 753 | 96% |
Arkansas among its neighbours
| Closest to Arkansas | Payback, years | kWh per kW | Price, ¢ | Utility-scale solar, points of generation | Miles away |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas (this page) | 17.0 | 1,372 | 12.84 | 6.9 | - |
| Missouri | -1.0 | +15 | +0.65 | -4.7 | 230 |
| Oklahoma | -1.7 | +123 | +0.28 | -6.1 | 237 |
| Mississippi | -1.4 | -2 | +1.19 | -3.2 | 258 |
| Kansas | -3.1 | +110 | +1.72 | -6.2 | 300 |
Arkansas against its neighbours in the payback ranking
Your numbers for Arkansas
Limits in Arkansas
Arkansas: with the old 30% credit (IRS, ended 2025) payback would be 11.9 years instead of 17.0, so the calculator starts at 0%. No Arkansas export rates in our data: output counts at 12.84 ¢. All limits.
Sources for Arkansas
- PVWatts v8 (NLR), 5 Arkansas cities and one state point: 1,372 kWh per kW
- EIA-860 2025 and EIA-923 2025: 2,547 MW of solar in Arkansas
- EIA-861 2024: 16,738 net-metered systems in Arkansas
- EIA retail sales 2025: 12.84 ¢ per kWh in Arkansas
- IRS 25D (ended 2025): 11.9 years in Arkansas with it; licences and periods for Arkansas
More about Arkansas
Arkansas electricity hub, Arkansas EV charging: 383 stations, where Arkansas ranks for rooftop solar, 17.0 years against 51 states, Arkansas calculators.
Questions
Solar payback in Arkansas?
17.0 years at $3.00 a watt; 14.2 at $2.50; 19.9 at $3.50; 1,372 kWh per kW at 12.84 ¢.
Arkansas utility-scale solar capacity?
2,547 MW in 69 plants (EIA-860), 840 W per resident, rank 6; 3,763 MW proposed.
Winter cut in Arkansas solar output?
December to February give 19% of the year; Jul makes 143 kWh per kW and Dec 83.
Arkansas electricity from solar, what share?
6.9% of 2025 net generation, rank 19 of 51, +0.1 points against the nation.
Where in Arkansas is solar best?
Yes: 6% between Little Rock and Fort Smith in yearly output.
Net metering in Arkansas?
16,738 systems, 11.3 per 1,000 accounts, rank 29.
Arkansas sunshine for solar panels?
1,372 kWh per kW a year at the state point, rank 26 of 51; from 1,370 in Little Rock to 1,452 in Fort Smith.
Arkansas pays half price for exports?
Payback 34.1 years at a 50% retail share.
CO2 displaced in Arkansas?
3.7 t a year on 6 kW at 0.451 kg per kWh.
Federal solar credit in Arkansas: still available?
Ended 2025 (IRS 25D); with it Arkansas payback would be 11.9 years, not 17.0.