Electricity
Arkansas consumed 48,194 million kilowatt hours in 2010.[9] In 2012, the state exported 131 trillion more BTUs of electricity than it imported.[10]
Rates
The average per-kilowatt-hour electricity rate in Arkansas was $0.08 in 2014, the fourth-lowest in the country.[11] Rates by sector in 2014 were $0.10 for residential, $0.06 for industrial, and $0.08 for commercial.[12]
Generation
In 2014, Arkansas had 14,754 megawatts of net summer generating capacity and generated 62 million megawatt hours.[14]
Generation facilities providing public power in the state include:
- five coal-fired plants
- 20 hydroelectric installations, including one pumped storage facility
- 10 natural gas-fired plants
- seven dual-fuel natural gas/petroleum-fired plants
- six photovoltaic solar facilities
- two landfill gas facilities
- one nuclear power plant
- one petroleum-fired plant
The state is home to the John W. Turk Jr. Coal Plant, which came online in 2012 as the first sustained ultra-supercritical coal-fired power plant in the United States.[15]
Emissions
In 2014, Arkansas' power industry released 30 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, 66,524 metric tons of sulfur dioxide, and 33,229 metric tons of nitrogen oxides.[16] In 2013, Arkansas ranked 30th in the most energy-related carbon dioxide emissions and 16th-highest for per capita energy-related carbon dioxide emissions.[17]
Solar power
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Main article: Solar power in Arkansas |
A 2010 report by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance estimated Arkansas could generate 19 percent of its 2007 energy need solely from rooftop solar photovoltaics.[18]
Three utility-scale solar photovoltaic generation facilities began operating in Arkansas in 2016:
- The state's first utility-scale solar facility, a 12-megawatt farm in East Camden serving an Aerojet Rocketdyne manufacturing facility. Excess energy from the farm is sold to the public electrical grid.[19]
- A 1-megawatt farm in Springdale operated by the Ozarks Electric Cooperative[20]
- A 0.5-megawatt farm in Van Buren operated by the Arkansas Valley Electric Cooperative[21]
In 2017, the 81-megawatt Stuttgart Solar Energy Center began operating in Stuttgart.[22]
Two solar photovoltaic facilities are in progress:
- The 100-megawatt Chicot Solar Project will be the state's largest solar facility upon completion.[23]
- A 6.5-megawatt facility is planned to open in 2018 in Clarksville.[24]
A 1.2-megawatt array for a L'Oréal manufacturing facility in North Little Rock is scheduled to be operational in mid-2017.[25] Notable small-scale solar power installations include rooftop photovoltaics on the Fayetteville Public Library and the Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock.
Wind power
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Main article: Wind power in Arkansas |
The U.S. Department of Energy estimates the state has 9,200 megawatts of potential wind power capacity at 80 meters.[26] Arkansas is one of 9 U.S. states and the District of Columbia without utility-scale wind power.[27]
Other renewables
Arkansas is 14th among states with the most installed hydroelectric generating capacity and 16th with the most generation from biomass. In 2011, hydroelectric installations generated 2,992 million kilowatt hours, while 1,668 million kilowatt hours were generated from biomass, mostly from wood products.[28]
Providers
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Main article: List of public utilities in Arkansas |
Arkansas' electric providers include four investor-owned utilities and a number of municipal and regional cooperative providers. Generation and transmission cooperative Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation provides wholesale energy to 17 regional member cooperatives in the state.[1]
