Entergy Arkansas plans 100 MW solar farm near Brinkley

For its fourth solar generating resource, Energy Arkansas, LLC has announced plans to purchase a 900 acre, 100 MW solar farm near Brinkley, Ark., named Walnut Bend.

While the acquisition will require approval from the Arkansas Public Service Commission, if they sign off, Walnut Bend will be among the largest solar generating facilities in the state, and capable of generating around $700,000 in annual property taxes for the county. Construction should begin in the fourth quarter of 2021 and be complete by the end of 2022.

“Entergy Arkansas is the solar leader in the Natural State,” Laura Landreaux, Entergy Arkansas President and CEO, said. “Utility-scale solar generation is the future of economic solar power in Arkansas. Walnut Bend will be a valuable addition to our solar fleet, which, in turn, complements our diverse mix of generation sources that have been powering life in Arkansas for 107 years now. Carefully managing our resources is how we keep rates relatively low in Arkansas, which is essential to the continued economic growth of our state.”

Entergy Arkansas’s interest stemmed from the efficiency embodied by the facility. It notes that such large scale operations provide more efficient means of power than rooftop solar and other small scale, but popular, renewable options. The facility should also bring approximately 200 temporary construction jobs to the area, followed by two or three full-time employees to cover its day to day operations.

The facility will draw on bifacial solar panels, which pull electricity from both the top and bottom sides of the panel, catching both direct sunlight and sunlight reflected from the ground as means of increasing the total amount of electricity generated. Walnut Bend will be designed and built by Invenergy Renewables, LLC.