The biggest solar project the country has tried to build just started. Cypress Creek Energy and Google broke ground on July 14 in Wilson, Arkansas, on the Steel River Energy Center, a solar-plus-storage complex that will be the largest in the United States when it’s done.
The first two phases deliver 1.6 gigawatts of solar and 1.9 gigawatt-hours of battery storage. At full three-phase buildout by 2029, Steel River reaches 2.5 gigawatts of solar and 2.9 gigawatt-hours of storage. The project listing has the full breakdown.
Made in America, on purpose
The detail that sets Steel River apart is its supply chain: 100% U.S.-made solar panels and domestic structural steel. That’s a deliberate choice in a market where most modules still come from overseas, and it’s a hedge against the tariff volatility that has whipsawed solar developers for two years. Building with domestic panels costs more up front. It also insulates the schedule from trade policy.
Who’s buying the power
Google is the anchor offtaker, which is the part that makes the economics work. The same AI data center demand straining the grid is also the demand signing long-term power contracts that finance projects like this one. Hyperscalers need clean power at scale, and they’re willing to underwrite new generation to get it.
That’s the loop worth watching: the load driving grid stress is also the load funding the biggest renewable builds in the country. Steel River is the largest example yet. CleanTechnica’s groundbreaking coverage has the phase-by-phase schedule.