Project Overview
Crooked Lake Solar Park is a proposed 175 MW utility-scale solar facility located in the northeast corner of Mississippi County, AR, approximately three and a half miles east of downtown Blytheville. The solar park would be located in a primarily rural area and, if constructed, would provide an economic benefit to the surrounding community. The solar park would be sited on land leased from local landowners who recognize the benefits of hosting a solar project. Lease payments would serve as a stable, weather-resistant cash crop that complements the area’s agricultural economy. Crooked Lake Solar Park could commence construction as early as 2023, enabling full operations to be achieved by 2024.
Energy Output
Crooked Lake Solar Park would have an installed capacity of 175 megawatts (MW). Crooked Lake’s generation would be equivalent to the consumption of more than 30,000 Arkansas homes.
Benefits
Community
Crooked Lake Solar Park would yield significant economic benefits to the community in the form of payments to landowners, local spending, and annual community investment.
Crooked Lake would represent a capital investment of approximately $200 million+ and would disperse millions in cumulative payments to local governments through the life of the project. An estimated $12.4 million in taxes would be paid to support local schools and community services. Hundreds of construction jobs would be created as well as multiple permanent jobs.
Environment
Crooked Lake would save more than 222 million gallons of water each year and prevent the air pollution that causes smog, acid rain, and climate change. Solar energy also enhances air quality by helping to mitigate the health effects of harmful air pollutants.
Landowners
Crooked Lake Solar Park would provide a stable form of income to local landowners. Millions of dollars would be paid to the solar park’s landowners through the life of the project.
National Security
Crooked Lake would contribute to the national energy security for the state of Arkansas and the United States, helping diversify domestic supply.
Technology
Solar Panels
Crooked Lake Solar Park would consist of state-of-the-art, single- axis tracking PV panels on a site of approximately 1,800 acres. Photovoltaic solar cells have no moving parts and convert sunlight directly into electricity via the photoelectric effect. This direct-current electricity is then collected, transformed into alternating-current, and finally enters the electrical grid through a substation after being converted to the proper voltage.