American Made, Arkansas Built

LITTLE ROCK, AR (November 10, 2022) – Today, Scenic Hill Solar and 4 leading US-headquartered solar equipment manufacturers announced a major initiative to restore American preeminence in solar photovoltaic and battery storage technologies deployed in Arkansas and beyond. The initiative combines the efforts of America’s leading solar equipment and technology providers to maximize Arkansas-based economic development through American-made energy technology. Companies participating include: America’s largest inverter manufacturer, the world’s largest single-axis tracking system manufacturer, the largest independent steel pipe and tube manufacturer in America, a leading US-based developer of lithium-ion cells and manufacturer of integrated storage solutions, and Scenic Hill Solar.

“We are pushing for an American-led renewable energy system, starting in Arkansas,” said Bill Halter, CEO of Scenic Hill Solar. Mr. Halter noted the broader significance: “The solar industry began in the United States but then shifted overseas. We are partnering with these leading companies to bring the industry back home to America by focusing on innovation and collaboration among the premier American manufacturers of solar equipment and batteries.” With the intention to maximize American-made equipment, software, and technology, solar power plants owned by Scenic Hill Solar will be used as testing labs, demonstration facilities, and opportunities for collaboration by these leading American renewable energy companies.

“A vibrant US base of renewable energy manufacturers provides greater energy independence, strengthens American national security, mitigates global supply chain disruptions like those resulting from Covid-19, and maximizes the economic development opportunities for Americans provided by the explosive growth of renewable energy,” said Halter.

America’s largest manufacturer of equipment to convert solar energy to grid-standard power also welcomed the challenge: “As the leading US-based designer and manufacturer of PV inverters and other best-of-class components, Yaskawa Solectria Solar is proud to partner with Scenic Hill Solar” said Mark Goodreau, General Manager. “We look forward to working closely with the Scenic Hill Solar team on the exciting opportunities ahead of us.” Yaskawa Solectria Solar is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Yaskawa America, Inc. and the largest inverter manufacturer based in the USA, with headquarters in Lawrence, MA, and world-class production facilities in Buffalo Grove, IL and Oak Creek, WI.

“Having opened three new U.S. factories this year, I can attest to the excellent manufacturing talent embedded in American towns”, said Dan Shugar, the CEO of Nextracker, the leading global producer of solar tracking technology. “We are on the cusp of a US manufacturing renaissance, especially with the domestic manufacturing incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act. We are excited to partner on the American Made, Arkansas Built Initiative, putting Americans to work to build products that power our homes and businesses safely for the future.”

“The building of America’s solar infrastructure should be supplied by companies that make it here. With continual investments in current and new factories, we are well positioned to support this initiative,” stated Barry Zekelman, chairman and CEO for Zekelman Industries. “Our new facilities in Blytheville, Arkansas and others across the United States are among the cleanest steel tube and pipe manufacturing facilities in the world and are ready to provide the highest quality steel torque tubes, screw piles, and pipe piles for utility scale solar installations.

KORE Power, the leading lithium-ion cell developer and owner of the only vertically integrated utility scale energy storage solution provider, brings its experience advancing efforts to onshore battery cell production and commercialize domestically built energy storage systems.

“The American Made, Arkansas Built initiative aligns with our vision of a domestic, clean energy supply chain,” said Jay Bellows, President of KORE Power. “We look forward to joining the next generation of American renewable energy companies working together to secure a safe, clean, reliable energy future.”

“At First Solar, we believe in the potential for our country’s energy transition to be powered by American ingenuity and innovation. Scenic Hill’s effort in identifying key elements of this domestic value chain demonstrates that this potential can be realized,” said Georges Antoun, Chief Commercial Officer of First Solar, from which Scenic Hill intends to procure modules for certain projects related to this initiative. Founded in 1999, First Solar is unique among the world’s ten largest solar manufacturers for being the only US-headquartered company and for producing advanced thin film solar panels designed and developed in America.

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About Scenic Hill Solar

Scenic Hill Solar is the largest Arkansas headquartered solar power developer, according to Solar Power World. Scenic Hill Solar provides commercial, industrial, government, and municipal utility clients with clean electricity, reduced energy prices and long-term electricity price certainty by developing client-specific solar energy plants. Scenic Hill Solar provides clients either lower-priced electricity under contract or turnkey delivery of solar power plants, depending on clients’ specific needs. Scenic Hill Solar is headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Visit the company online at www.ScenicHillSolar.com. Scenic Hill Solar’s CEO is former Arkansas Lieutenant Governor Bill Halter: www.ScenicHillSolar.com/billhalter.

About Yaskawa Solectria Solar

Yaskawa Solectria Solar is a wholly owned subsidiary of Yaskawa America, Inc. and the largest inverter manufacturer based in the USA, with headquarters in Lawrence, MA, and world-class production facilities in Buffalo Grove, IL and Oak Creek, WI. Solectria’s products include inverters ranging from 25kW to 250kW, string combiners and web-based monitoring for all size solar systems. All of Solectria’s three-phase utility inverters are made in the USA with global components and meet the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) definitions of a Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) item. This also qualifies our Solectria inverters as domestic end products, compliant with the Buy American Act (BAA). Solectria is backed by Yaskawa, with over 100 years of power electronics and inverter experience and continues to provide new innovations in the marketplace. To learn more please visit www.solectria.com.

About Nextracker

Nextracker is the leading provider of intelligent, integrated solar tracker and software solutions used in utility-scale and distributed generation solar projects around the world. Our products enable solar panels to follow the sun’s movement across the sky and optimize plant performance. With more than 60 gigawatts shipped worldwide, Nextracker leads the solar industry with solar tracker technologies that optimize and increase energy production while reducing costs for significant plant ROI. For more information, please visit nextracker.com.

About Zekelman Industries

Zekelman Industries includes the operating divisions of Atlas Tube, Picoma, Sharon Tube, Wheatland Tube, Western Tube and Z Modular. With 18 factories and 2,700+ employees in North America, Zekelman Industries is the largest independent manufacturer of hollow structural sections (HSS) and steel pipe, and the top producer of electrical conduit and elbows, couplings and nipples in North America. Zekelman Industries is a champion for domestic manufacturing and is dedicated to solutions that build its customers’ success.

About KORE Power, Inc.

KORE Power, Inc. (KORE) is a leading U.S.-based developer of lithium-ion cells and manufacturer of integrated solutions for the e-mobility and energy storage sectors. KORE is one of the only domestic manufacturers to use U.S. intellectual property and technology. Groundbreaking for the construction of the KOREPlex, a lithium-ion battery cell facility, is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2022, with commercial production scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2024. The KOREPlex, a gigafactory in Arizona that will have the capacity to produce 12GWh of battery cells to supply the market with American-made lithium-ion battery cells. Since its founding, KORE’s mission has been to catalyze the domestic renewable energy supply chain, advancing the energy transition through American jobs, manufacturing, and the pursuit of energy independence.