Carroll Electric Cooperative and solar
Carroll Electric Cooperative is an electric cooperative serving about 116,791 homes in Arkansas, Missouri. Here's what its rates and export rules mean for solar: for a typical customer, solar is a close call.
- Average price (2026 est.)
- 14.0¢4% above Arkansas average
- Typical bill
- $1501,067 kWh a month
- Exports credited
- ~30%Avoided-cost export credit
- Typical payback
- 13.9 yrs8.2 kW, cash
Export rules for Carroll Electric Cooperative customers
Avoided-cost export credit (Arkansas rule).
Under Act 278 of 2023, new solar customers (applications after Sept 30, 2024) still offset their own usage at retail, but any excess electricity sent to the grid is credited only at the utility's avoided cost, often under half of retail. Customers who connected earlier keep 1:1 retail credit through 2039-2040.
Solar for a typical Carroll Electric Cooperative home
| System | 8.2 kW (90% of 1,067 kWh/month) |
|---|---|
| Cost | $21,950 |
| First-year savings | $1,572 |
| Payback | 13.9 years |
| 25-year net | $23,287 |
Uses the utility's average price.
Solar adoption
- Homes with solar (2025)
- 2,306
- Share of customers
- 2.0%
- Residential solar capacity
- 28 MW
- Residential customers
- 116,791
EIA-861, 2025.
Questions about Carroll Electric Cooperative and solar
Does Carroll Electric Cooperative have net metering?
Carroll Electric Cooperative follows Arkansas's rules: Under Act 278 of 2023, new solar customers (applications after Sept 30, 2024) still offset their own usage at retail, but any excess electricity sent to the grid is credited only at the utility's avoided cost, often under half of retail. Customers who connected earlier keep 1:1 retail credit through 2039-2040.
How much does electricity cost with Carroll Electric Cooperative?
Residential customers paid an average of 13.4¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA), about 14.0¢ adjusted to 2026. The typical home uses 1,067 kWh a month, a bill of about $150.
Is solar worth it with Carroll Electric Cooperative?
For a typical customer, solar is a close call: a 8.2 kW system costing about $21,950 pays back in about 13.9 years, with $23,287 net over 25 years.
How many Carroll Electric Cooperative customers have solar?
About 2,306 homes had net-metered solar at the end of 2025, roughly 2.0% of residential customers (EIA-861).
Legal name: Carroll Electric Coop Corp - (AR) (EIA ID 3093). Data: EIA-861 2025 and monthly data through 2026, state policy research October 2026.