In the global push toward low-carbon energy, the infrastructure of renewable power is rapidly scaling up. Whether it’s on-shore or off-shore wind farms, large solar parks, or hybrid renewable + storage systems, steel is one of the critical materials that makes this scale-up possible. This blog explores what steel products are needed, what properties they must have, which standards govern them and what cost-pressures and trends are shaping the market.

1. Steel Products Needed for Renewable Energy Infrastructure

When you look at a wind farm or solar park, the visible “green” equipment (turbines, blades, panels) gets most of the attention—but behind them is a massive steel backbone. Some of the major steel-product categories are:

Wind Energy

• Towers and tower sections: Large steel plates, rolled sections, tubular or conical steel towers.

• Foundations: Reinforcing steel (rebars), anchor piles, flanges, structural bars.

• Nacelle and hub structure: Steel frames, generator housings, structural sections, electrical steel for generators.

• Offshore specific: Jacket foundations, mooring-ropes, heavy plates, rings, large forged steel parts.

Solar Energy

• Mounting frames/tracks: Steel channels, rails, posts, torque tubes for trackers.

• Structural frames for large-scale PV plants: coated/stainless steel for durability.

• Support structures for storage/ancillary equipment: steel beams, sections, platforms.

Infrastructure & Storage Ancillaries

• Transmission towers, pylons: Steel angles, beams for grid connection.

• Energy storage housings, battery enclosures: prefabricated steel modules.

• Hybrid structures (floating wind, offshore solar): specialized steel products.

Quantities & Scale

To appreciate the magnitude:

• Each 1 MW of on-shore wind tower infrastructure may require ~ 50 tons of steel; offshore perhaps up to 200 tons/ MW.

• For solar: ~ 35-45 tons of steel per MW in large utility scale installations.

Thus the demand side for “steel products for renewables” is very large and growing.

2. Properties Required in Steel Products for These Applications

Not all steel is identical. Because renewable-energy infrastructure is subject to dynamic loads, harsh environments, and long life-cycles, the steel products must meet specific demanding requirements.

Strength & Toughness

• Wind towers and foundations must withstand high wind loads, vibration, cyclic loading. Hence high strength structural steels (for example S355ML, S460ML) or equivalents are used.

• The material needs to have good toughness (especially low-temperature toughness for offshore) and weldability.

Corrosion Resistance and Durability

• Many installations are outdoors, coastal, offshore—where corrosion, salt spray, wind, moisture are major factors.

• For solar structures, prolonged exposure to sun, heat cycles, moisture and possibly tracking-mechanism fatigue means the steel must resist degradation.

• Use of coated steels (e.g., metallic coatings like Magnelis®, or organic coatings) to extend life.

Fabricability & Weldability

• Tower sections are large: plates up to tens of millimetres thick, large dimensions, heavy fabrication. The steel must allow forming, welding, heat treatment as required.

• Ground-mounted solar frames/tracks may require custom stamping, bending, galvanizing, etc.

Fatigue Resistance and Dynamic Behavior

• Wind turbines especially produce cyclic loads (blade rotation, wind gusts, turbulence). The steel must maintain performance across a long lifecycle (20+ years) with minimal maintenance.

Dimensional Accuracy & Quality

• Large components demand tight tolerance, minimal defects (cracks, lamellar tearing), and often specialized testing (ultrasonic, impact, etc.).

Sustainability / Low Embodied Carbon

• Increasingly, steel producers and buyers are specifying low-carbon or “green” steel—i.e., steel made with recycled content, electric arc furnaces, renewable energy inputs. For example, one supplier offered low-emission steel for wind towers, reducing CO₂ by ~25-50% vs conventional.

3. Relevant Standards and Compliance

When you’re specifying steel for renewable infrastructure you must refer to relevant standards which govern design, materials, fabrication, testing and execution. Some key ones:

• For structural steel: EN 1993 (Eurocode 3) “Design of steel structures” is a widely used standard in Europe.

• For wind turbines: IEC 61400 (wind turbine design) sets many requirements for loads, site conditions, turbine certification.

• For material qualification: For steel plates, sections etc used in towers, standards like EN 10025 (structural steels), EN 10225 (offshore structural steel grades) are relevant.

• For coated / corrosion-resistant steels: Supplier specs like Magnelis® or other manufacturer standards; in India or other markets, look to IS (Indian Standards) such as IS 2062 for structural steel. (E.g., one Indian tower-manufacturer referenced IS 2062 in their spec.)

• For fabrication, welding and execution: Standards such as EN 1090 (Execution of steel structures) may apply.

As a buyer or specifier you’ll also likely demand:

• Material certificates and test reports (chemical, mechanical)

• Impact toughness tests, lamellar-tearing resistance, PWHT where required

• Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for low-carbon steel products (some suppliers now provide these)

4. Cost Pressures & Trends Shaping the Market

Building renewable energy infrastructure is capital-intensive and margins are under pressure. Steel supply and cost dynamics influence this significantly. Some of the key cost- and trend-drivers include:

Rising Demand & Scale

• With global renewable targets (solar + wind) accelerating, demand for the steel products used in those is expanding rapidly. This pushes raw-material, fabrication and logistics cost pressures.

• Because of this, economies of scale matter. Suppliers who can deliver large plate sizes, high-strength coils, prefabricated modular steel components, are in advantage.

Material Quality and Specification Premium

• High-spec steels (high strength, low carbon, high toughness, special coatings) cost more than basic structural steel. Specifying higher grades or special coatings increases cost.

• If the operator demands “green steel” or recycled steel with lower carbon footprint, there may be a premium. For example, low-emission steel used in one wind-project was claimed to reduce CO₂ substantially—but it may come at higher cost.

Fabrication and Logistics Costs

• Tower sections are large, heavy, and often need large plate sizes or custom fabrication. Transport from mill to fabrication yard and then to site (often remote) adds logistics cost.

• For offshore projects especially, large modules, heavy lifts and marine transport increase cost significantly.

• For solar farms, large-scale mounting structures mean many thousands of units; manufacturing repeatability, galvanizing/coating, assembly labour all drive cost.

Substitution and Material Optimization

• Because cost matters, there’s strong incentive to optimize: use higher strength steel so less material, reduce thickness, reduce welds, reduce on-site labour.

• Also, there is competition between materials (e.g., steel vs concrete towers for wind) or hybrid solutions. The cost trade-offs will influence the steel product spec.

Supply Chain & Local Content Pressures

• Many jurisdictions require local content, or favour local steel supply chains, which influences cost and sourcing.

• Availability of large-plate suppliers, fabrication yards, coating plants in region matter for cost.

Sustainability and Life-Cycle Cost

• Projects increasingly look beyond upfront cost to total life-cycle cost: maintenance, corrosion, replacement, downtime. The steel product with better durability or lower maintenance cost may justify higher first cost.

• Also, embodied carbon and certification may influence cost of capital, financing, ESG credentials. Choosing steel with lower carbon footprint might open more favourable financing, though it may cost more initially.

5. Future Outlook and What This Means for Steel Suppliers & Specifiers

For companies like yours (providing steel products) and your clients (engineering firms, EPCs, renewable developers), this means:

• Be ready for larger volume orders: As renewables expand, the demand for heavy plates, structural sections, coils and other steel products will grow.

• Offer high-spec quality and documentation: Toughness, weldability, special coatings, low-carbon options—all will become differentiators.

• Support modular and prefabricated solutions: Pre-fabricated steel tower sections, standardised mounting frames for solar, modular kits reduce onsite cost and logistics.

• Highlight sustainability credentials: Keep track of recycled content, energy used in steel production, EPDs. These increasingly matter.

• Help clients optimise cost: By offering high-strength steels so thinner/less material is needed; by offering proven coatings to reduce maintenance; offer logistic solutions tailored to remote sites.

• Stay abreast of standards and region-specific certifications: Clients will ask for compliance with codes (IEC, Eurocode, IS, etc). Be ready to supply supporting documentation and test reports.

• Adapt to evolving markets: For example, floating offshore wind or hybrid renewable+storage projects may require new steel-solutions (marine-grade, fatigue resistant, large dimensions).

6. Summary

In short: the future of renewable energy infrastructure is steel-intensive and evolving. Whether it’s wind towers that rise skywards or vast arrays of solar mountings across plains and deserts, steel products form the structural backbone. Specifiers and manufacturers must focus on:

• The right product types: heavy plates, structural sections, coils, frames, rebars, etc.

• The right properties: strength, toughness, corrosion resistance, fabricability, durability, low-carbon credentials

• The right standards & documentation: for material, fabrication, execution and sustainability

• The right cost-optimisation strategies: balancing upfront cost, life-cycle cost, local content, logistics, sustainability premiums

If your company can position itself as a reliable partner for high-spec, renewable-ready steel products—with an eye on sustainability, logistics, quality and cost—you’ll be well-placed for the major growth wave coming in renewables.