State solar photovoltaic (PV) electricity has roughly quadrupled in the past two years. Solar output that was underutilized as recently as 2017 is now powering factories, EV charging stations, houses, offices, and farms. This has been driven primarily by market forces.

• Local firm Seal Solar does a thriving business installing PV solar and battery systems for commercial, residential, and agricultural customers.
• Lexicon, Inc. contracted with Seal Solar to build solar arrays in Lonoke County and Mississippi County, offsetting 70% of its energy usage in Arkansas.
• Pulaski County government operates with solar arrays at the Port of Little Rock and near the County Detention Center, generating about 90 percent of its own electricity and saving around $250,000 annually.
• There are opportunities to further develop the “green collar” workforce in Arkansas.

Central Arkansas plays a prominent role in power grid management, with firms like MISO and the Southwest Power Pool. The local region holds about 6 percent of this industry’s total national workforce in a sector that has seen substantial national job growth since 2022

• Single-family construction rose about 29 percent over the past year, while multi-family was down 47 percent. Total new housing units were down slightly compared with the previous year.
• Sherwood saw an 86 percent gain, Little Rock rose 61 percent, and Vilonia climbed 43 percent.
• Multi-family construction was highest in Little Rock, Conway and North Little Rock.