American Steel. American Energy.
How solar is driving demand for U.S. steel
A never-before-seen journey from steel mill to solar field. Documentary coming soon. Premiering at RE+ 2026.
The Steel Behind Solar
When America builds solar, America needs steel.
Most people don’t think about steel when they think about solar. But building solar projects creates demand that reaches across American steel mills, manufacturing facilities, transportation networks and construction sites.
This new mini-documentary brings that connection to life with a unique inside look at the American supply chain behind our Steel River Energy Center, America’s largest solar project with energy storage to break ground to date. Its structural steel is 100% U.S.-made, with the vast majority produced and manufactured just miles from the project in Mississippi County, Arkansas, the nation’s steel capital.
Follow steel coils from U. S. Steel’s Big River Steel facility in Osceola, up the Mississippi River by barge to PACO Steel in Blytheville, where they become structural piles, and ultimately driven into Arkansas soil by the Moss team to support Steel River’s solar arrays.
Along the way, meet the people making the steel, running the barges, manufacturing the piles and building the project. Together, they tell a distinctly American story about how solar development is driving demand for domestic manufacturing, supporting skilled jobs and fueling economic growth.
Join Us
Morning Booth Screening
Start your morning with coffee, a bite and a story worth watching. Stop by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) booth for a first look at the documentary, playing on a continuous loop throughout the hour.
Coffee, muffins and breakfast pastries are on us!
Wednesday, November 18, 2026
9–10 a.m. PT
SEIA Booth | #CL100
Full Documentary Premiere + Panel
Forging Common Ground: Solar, Steel and American Energy
What if one of solar’s most powerful untold stories isn’t about solar panels, but American steel?
Join leaders from energy development, steel manufacturing, solar equipment manufacturing and construction for the premiere of the full documentary and a discussion about the American supply chain behind Steel River Energy Center.
Using the nation’s largest solar project with energy storage to break ground to date as a real-world example, panelists will explore how solar development creates demand for domestic steel, the opportunities and practical challenges of using American-made materials, and how collaboration across industries can strengthen domestic supply chains.
The conversation will also examine how telling this story can help solar reach new audiences, build common ground across political and geographic divides, and broaden public understanding of its role in American manufacturing, jobs and economic growth.
Wednesday, November 18, 2026
1:30–2:25 p.m. PT
Manufacturing & Logistics Show Floor Theater | Central Hall
Steel River Energy Center
At 2.5 gigawatts of solar plus 2.9 gigawatt-hours of battery energy storage, Steel River Energy Center is one of the most significant new energy infrastructure projects in the United States and the nation’s largest solar project with battery energy storage. Built on Arkansas steel and American manufacturing, the project incorporates one of the highest levels of domestic content ever used in a utility-scale energy project.
