Construction has started on the largest planned solar project in the United States. Steel River Energy Center, which is being developed by Cypress Creek Energy and installed by Moss, is slated to be 2.5 GWDC of solar co-located with 2.9 GWh of battery energy storage built in Wilson, Arkansas.
Installers drive foundational piles into the ground on the Steel River Energy Center’s solar project site. Steel River is slated to be the largest solar project in the United States. Cypress Creek Energy
Construction of the first two phases of the three-phase Steel River project are underway and represent 1.6 GW of solar and 1.9 GWh of energy storage. The total project is scheduled for completion in 2029. Google has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Cypress Creek for the energy off-take from the solar plus storage project’s first two phases.
“Steel River not only represents an important investment in Google’s clean energy commitments, but also in our commitment to Arkansas,” said Will Conkling, head of data center energy, Google. “This collaboration with Cypress Creek Energy will strengthen the grid and help ensure more reliable, affordable, and clean energy is available for businesses and communities throughout the state.”
Google is currently developing a data center in West Memphis, which is about 40 miles south of Wilson. According to the press release announcing this PPA, a 2.5-GW solar project can power approximately 315,000 homes in Arkansas. The majority of Steel River’s solar output will be accounted for by Google’s PPA.
Cypress Creek reported that most of the steel used for solar racking and foundations will be procured from PACO Steel in Blytheville and U.S. Steel’s plant in Osceola, which resides in the same county as Wilson. The project will use Nextpower solar trackers, First Solar modules and LG Energy Solution Vertech energy storage, which are all manufactured or assembled domestically.
“Some people still question whether a domestic solar supply chain is possible. This project is proof,” said Kevin Smith, CEO of Cypress Creek. “Steel River is the largest solar project with energy storage in the country, and it’s being built with 100% U.S.-made solar panels and structural steel. That’s good for American manufacturing, good for Arkansas, and good for the country’s energy future.”
Since November, Google has signed a PPA for the output of a 49-MW Ohio solar project, acquired large-scale renewable energy developer Intersect in a nearly $5 billion cash purchase and signed additional PPAs for approximately 400 MW of solar being built in Texas.
