Building Arkansas’s Energy Future: Students, Employers and Communities Connect at emPOWER Arkansas Expo

Arkansas Advanced Energy hosted the annual emPOWER Arkansas Conference & Expo October 12–13, 2026, at the Central Arkansas Library System Main Library in downtown Little Rock, bringing together energy leaders, employers, educators, students and community partners to explore the people and opportunities shaping Arkansas’s energy future.

During the Expo, more than 300 students, teachers, job seekers, conference attendees and community partners connected with employers and organizations across the advanced energy industry. Participating students ranged from seventh through 12th grade to technical, trade and higher education, giving Arkansans at different stages of their education and careers an opportunity to learn about the wide range of jobs and career pathways available in the industry.

This year’s exhibitors included A-1 LED, America Clean Energy Group, Apprenticely, Arkansas Northeastern College, Arkansas United, ATC, CEP, Curtis Stout, Delta Solar, ENFRA, Seal Solar, Southeastern Wind Coalition, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and Wade Company.

Throughout the Expo, attendees were also invited to answer a simple but important question: “For Arkansas’s energy future, we need…”

As part of the interactive “Building Arkansas’s Energy Future” activity, participants wrote their answers on individual blocks and added them to a collaborative sculpture. Together, those contributions represent the many ideas, priorities and perspectives Arkansans bring to conversations about the state’s energy future. The completed sculpture will be on display at the Arkansas State Capitol, in the fourth-floor balcony alcove, from October 19 through November 13, extending the conversation beyond the Expo and giving Capitol visitors an opportunity to see what Arkansans believe they will need for the future.

The 2026 emPOWER Arkansas Conference & Expo was sponsored by Google, Connected Grid Initiative, Southern Renewable Energy Association, The Stitt Group, Metroplan, and A-1 LED. The two-day event was also made possible by 25 volunteers who contributed more than 45 hours across the Conference and Expo.

The future of Arkansas energy will require more than new technologies and infrastructure. It will require a skilled workforce, engaged communities, strong partnerships and the next generation of Arkansans ready to build what comes next.

Photography by Reynardo Marks