Forrest City, Arkansas shows moderate potential for year-round solar energy generation, though with significant seasonal variations that property owners should carefully consider before investing in solar panels.

Seasonal Solar Performance

The location experiences its peak solar production during summer months, generating 6.83 kWh per day for each kilowatt of installed solar capacity. Spring follows as the second-best season with 5.71 kWh per day per kW, making these warmer months ideal for maximizing solar energy output. Autumn production drops to 4.36 kWh per day per kW, while winter shows the lowest performance at just 2.47 kWh per day per kW. This means winter solar output is less than half of what you can expect during peak summer months.

Optimal Panel Installation

For maximum year-round energy production at this Forrest City location, solar panels should be installed at a fixed angle of 30 degrees tilted toward the south. This angle has been calculated to optimize total annual solar output by accounting for the sun's changing position throughout the year and the Earth's orbital patterns.

Local Factors Affecting Solar Production

Several environmental and weather factors in the Arkansas region can impact solar panel performance:

• High humidity levels can create haze that reduces solar irradiance reaching the panels
• Frequent thunderstorms during spring and summer can cause temporary production interruptions
• Ice storms in winter may coat panels and block sunlight
• Heavy tree coverage common in Arkansas can create shading issues
• Dust and pollen accumulation, particularly during spring months

Preventative Measures for Better Performance

Property owners can take several steps to maximize their solar investment despite these challenges. Regular panel cleaning is essential, especially during pollen season and after dust storms. Installing panels with adequate spacing allows for proper air circulation, which helps combat humidity-related efficiency losses. Choosing a location with minimal tree shading throughout the day is crucial, and property owners may need to trim or remove trees that cast shadows on panels. Installing a monitoring system helps identify performance issues quickly, whether from weather damage or debris accumulation. For ice-related concerns, selecting panels with smooth surfaces and proper tilt angles helps ice and snow slide off more easily. Some property owners also install heating elements or use specialized coatings to prevent ice buildup during winter storms. Overall, while Forrest City's solar potential is reasonable, the significant winter production drop and local weather challenges mean careful planning and maintenance are essential for achieving optimal returns on solar investments.

Note: The Northern Temperate Zone extends from 35° latitude North up to 66.5° latitude.

So far, we have conducted calculations to evaluate the solar photovoltaic (PV) potential in 4253 locations across the United States. This analysis provides insights into each city/location's potential for harnessing solar energy through PV installations.

Link: Solar PV potential in the United States by location

Solar output per kW of installed solar PV by season in Forrest City

Seasonal solar PV output for Latitude: 35.0068, Longitude: -90.7862 (Forrest City, United States), based on our analysis of 8760 hourly intervals of solar and meteorological data (one whole year) retrieved for that set of coordinates/location from NASA POWER (The Prediction of Worldwide Energy Resources) API:

 

Ideally tilt fixed solar panels 30° South in Forrest City, United States

To maximize your solar PV system's energy output in Forrest City, United States (Lat/Long 35.0068, -90.7862) throughout the year, you should tilt your panels at an angle of 30° South for fixed panel installations.

As the Earth revolves around the Sun each year, the maximum angle of elevation of the Sun varies by +/- 23.45 degrees from its equinox elevation angle for a particular latitude. Finding the exact optimal angle to maximise solar PV production throughout the year can be challenging, but with careful consideration of historical solar energy and meteorological data for a certain location, it can be done precisely.

We use our own calculation, which incorporates NASA solar and meteorological data for the exact Lat/Long coordinates, to determine the ideal tilt angle of a solar panel that will yield maximum annual solar output. We calculate the optimal angle for each day of the year, taking into account its contribution to the yearly total PV potential at that specific location.

Seasonally adjusted solar panel tilt angles for Forrest City, United States

If you can adjust the tilt angle of your solar PV panels, please refer to the seasonal tilt angles below for optimal solar energy production in Forrest City, United States. As mentioned earlier, for fixed-panel solar PV installations, it is optimal to maintain a 30° South tilt angle throughout the year.

Overall Best Summer Angle	Overall Best Autumn Angle	Overall Best Winter Angle	Overall Best Spring Angle
19° South in Summer	40° South in Autumn	50° South in Winter	28° South in Spring

Our recommendations take into account more than just latitude and Earth's position in its elliptical orbit around the Sun. We also incorporate historical solar and meteorological data from NASA's Prediction of Worldwide Energy Resources (POWER) API to assign a weight to each ideal angle for each day based on its historical contribution to overall solar PV potential during a specific season.

This approach allows us to provide much more accurate recommendations than relying solely on latitude, as it considers unique weather conditions in different locations sharing the same latitude worldwide.

Calculate solar panel row spacing in Forrest City, United States

We've added a feature to calculate minimum solar panel row spacing by location. Enter your panel size and orientation below to get the minimum spacing in Forrest City, United States.

Our calculation method

1. Solar Position:
   We determine the Sun's position on the Winter solstice using the location's latitude and solar declination.
2. Shadow Projection:
   We calculate the shadow length cast by panels using trigonometry, considering panel tilt and the Sun's elevation angle.
3. Minimum Spacing:
   We add the shadow length to the horizontal space occupied by tilted panels.

This approach ensures maximum space efficiency while avoiding shading during critical times, as the Winter solstice represents the worst-case scenario for shadow length.

Topography for solar PV around Forrest City, United States

Topography Around Forrest City

Forrest City sits in the heart of the Arkansas Delta, a remarkably flat region that forms part of the larger Mississippi River floodplain. The landscape around this eastern Arkansas community is characterized by extremely gentle terrain, with elevation changes measured in mere feet rather than hundreds of feet. This area represents some of the flattest land in the entire United States, created over millennia by sediment deposits from the Mississippi River and its tributaries.

The immediate vicinity of Forrest City features agricultural fields stretching to the horizon, broken only by scattered farmsteads, irrigation equipment, and occasional stands of hardwood trees. The terrain slopes so gradually that it's nearly imperceptible to the naked eye, with the land gently declining toward the Mississippi River to the east. Small drainage ditches and agricultural waterways crisscross the landscape, designed to manage water flow across these low-lying areas.

Moving outward from Forrest City, the topography remains consistently level for many miles in all directions. To the north and south, the Delta continues with the same flat characteristics, while to the west, the land very gradually begins its ascent toward the Arkansas interior highlands, though this transition occurs over dozens of miles. The eastern approach toward the Mississippi River maintains the same level profile until reaching the river's natural levee system.

Optimal Areas for Large-Scale Solar Development

The topography around Forrest City presents exceptional opportunities for large-scale solar photovoltaic installations. The extensive flat terrain eliminates the need for costly site preparation, grading, or terracing that would be required in more mountainous regions. This natural advantage significantly reduces construction costs and allows for optimal panel placement without concerns about shadowing from terrain features.

The most suitable areas for major solar developments lie in the agricultural zones surrounding Forrest City, particularly in the expansive fields to the north, south, and west of the community. These areas offer several key advantages: minimal slope requiring little to no grading, excellent accessibility via existing farm roads and state highways, and proximity to electrical transmission infrastructure that already serves the agricultural community.

The western approaches to Forrest City may prove especially attractive for solar development, as the land maintains its flat characteristics while being slightly more elevated than areas closer to the Mississippi River. This positioning reduces potential flooding concerns while maintaining the topographical advantages of the Delta region. The area also benefits from being far enough from the river to avoid the most flood-prone zones, yet close enough to existing electrical infrastructure to facilitate grid connection.

Large tracts of currently agricultural land could potentially be converted to solar use, with the flat terrain allowing for efficient installation of tracking systems if desired. The absence of significant hills, valleys, or rock outcroppings means that solar installations can be designed for maximum efficiency without topographical constraints, and maintenance access remains straightforward across the entire installation area.

United States solar PV Stats as a country

United States ranks 2nd in the world for cumulative solar PV capacity, with 95,209 total MW's of solar PV installed. This means that 3.40% of United States's total energy as a country comes from solar PV (that's 26th in the world). Each year United States is generating 289 Watts from solar PV per capita (United States ranks 15th in the world for solar PV Watts generated per capita). [source]

Are there incentives for businesses to install solar in United States?

Yes, there are several incentives for businesses wanting to install solar energy in the United States. These include federal tax credits, state and local rebates, net metering policies, and renewable energy certificates (RECs). Additionally, many states have enacted legislation that requires utilities to purchase a certain amount of electricity from renewable sources such as solar.

Do you have more up to date information than this on incentives towards solar PV projects in United States? Please reach out to us and help us keep this information current. Thanks!

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Compare this location to others worldwide for solar PV potential

The solar PV analyses available on our website, including this one, are offered as a free service to the global community. Our aim is to provide education and aid informed decision-making regarding solar PV installations.

However, please note that these analyses are general guidance and may not meet specific project requirements. For in-depth, tailored forecasts and analysis crucial for feasibility studies or when pursuing maximum ROI from your solar projects, feel free to contact us; we offer comprehensive consulting services expressly for this purpose.

Helping you assess viability of solar PV for your site

Calculate Your Optimal Solar Panel Tilt Angle: A Comprehensive Guide

Enhance your solar panel's performance with our in-depth guide. Determine the best tilt angle using hard data, debunk common misunderstandings, and gain insight into how your specific location affects solar energy production.