As solar development increasingly competes with farmland across Arkansas, University of Arkansas researchers are testing whether a different approach could meet energy demands without taking acreage out of production.
A new project at the Rice Research and Extension Center is examining the feasibility of floating solar arrays installed on irrigation reservoirs, a concept researchers say could reduce pressure to convert cropland while offering added benefits for farmers.
Michael Popp, an agricultural economist with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, said the research is focused on balancing competing interests as solar expansion accelerates.
“The goals are to not convert agricultural land to solar panel use, save irrigation water and create a synergy between utility companies, solar investors, farmers and policymakers,” Popp said.
The study comes as solar leasing has become an increasingly attractive option for landowners.
Utility-scale solar installations were projected to occupy about 0.2% of Arkansas’s 13.7 million acres of agricultural land, with some counties expected to see as much as 1.7% of cropland converted, according to Popp.
That growth is largely driven by economic factors.
Solar leases can bring between $450 and $2,500 an acre, far outpacing traditional agricultural rental rates, about $50 an acre for non-irrigated cropland, $150 for irrigated land and $20 for pasture, based on U.S. Department of Agriculture data.
Developers typically seek flat, well-drained land near transmission infrastructure, often the same characteristics that make farmland productive, raising concerns about long-term impacts on agriculture.
Instead of using cropland, the Arkansas project will place a 70-kilowatt floating solar array on about one-tenth of an acre of a 40-acre irrigation reservoir in Stuttgart. An additional 24 panels will be installed along the reservoir embankment.
Anchors and buoys already have been installed, and the system is expected to be operational in May.
While floating solar has been deployed elsewhere, the Arkansas study aims to determine how well the technology performs under local conditions, including weather patterns and wildlife impacts along the Mississippi Flyway.
Researchers are also evaluating producers’ maintenance needs and economic viability in the region.
In addition to preserving farmland, floating solar systems may offer operational advantages.
By covering portions of the water surface, panels can reduce evaporation by 25% to 50%, helping conserve irrigation water.
They may also limit algal growth by blocking sunlight, potentially reducing maintenance issues for irrigation equipment.
Floating systems could also be more space-efficient. Popp estimates they require about 2.2 to 2.6 acres per megawatt, compared to 5.5 to 9 acres for land-based systems, which must account for shading and vegetation management.
“Not only are we not using agricultural land, but we’re also using less surface area per megawatt,” Popp said.
Alongside the physical installation, researchers are surveying Mid-South residents and farmers to gauge attitudes toward floating solar and willingness to pay to avoid converting farmland.
The survey is open through May 15.
The project is a collaboration between agricultural economists, engineers and students with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.
Researchers say floating solar could offer a path forward in a debate that has increasingly pitted energy development against agricultural preservation, providing a way to do both without forcing farmers to choose.

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