Corporate Overview

Industrial-Scale Solar Thermal Energy. Now.

Ausra designs, manufactures, installs, and operates solar thermal energy systems for customers around the world. Amid growing public demand for clean energy, our next-generation solar thermal energy systems provide reliable, scalable, and cost-competitive renewable energy solutions for both power and industrial steam customers. Our solar thermal energy systems can also serve as an integrated sustainability strategy for fuel and carbon market risk reduction.

Ausra's zero-pollution emitting solar thermal energy systems produce steam directly from the sun. It is simple, durable and scalable. The company's core technology, the Compact Linear Fresnel Reflector (CLFR) solar collector and steam generation system, uses modular flat mirrors to focus the sun's heat onto elevated centralized receivers, which consist of a system of tubes through which water flows. The concentrated sunlight boils the water in the tubes, generating high-pressure steam for use in power generation and industrial steam applications.

CLFR is the most land-efficient solar technology in operation, generating 1.5-to-3 times more power per acre of land than competing solar technologies. This high energy density translates into lower costs, a smaller environmental footprint and greater access to existing power plant and industrial sites. Unlike photovoltaic energy resources that immediately shut down during periods of transient cloud coverage, Ausra’s solar thermal systems retain heat, allowing for a more seamless integration with the electric grid. For standalone power plants, Ausra can also include a natural gas boiler back-up design. These solar-natural gas hybrid plants can provide firm capacity to the grid.

Ausra's high-volume manufacturing capability, standard commodity materials, and land-efficient design allows it to quickly and cost-effectively scale-up and serve a broad range of power and industrial steam customers. We are the first solar steam power boiler manufacturer to receive the American Society of Mechanical Engineer's (ASME) "S" Stamp Certificate of Authorization. An ASME "S" Stamp is considered the industry hallmark of acceptance and certification. It is recognized in more than 100 countries as a means of meeting government safety regulations. Ausra’s solar steam systems are used for:

  • Industrial Steam Applications: Ausra offers industrial customers direct solar steam or hot water for diverse process steam applications, ranging from enhanced oil recovery and petrochemical refining, to food processing and desalination.
  • Steam Augmentation: Ausra's solar thermal systems provide steam augmentation for natural gas-fired and coal-fired power plants. This solar steam enables Ausra's power customers to increase electricity production at peak periods and reduce plant emissions.
  • Large-Scale and Hybrid Power Generation: Ausra supplies solar steam boilers for large-scale, standalone power plants. Because Ausra's solar thermal energy system generates steam directly, the company offers a low-cost natural gas back-up boiler (solar-hybrid plant design) that can meet the same dispatchability levels as conventional power plants, but with far lower emissions.

Innovation in Action

Electric utilities in the U.S. and worldwide are under growing pressure to expand their delivery of clean, renewable power and to reduce emissions at existing power and industrial sites. Ausra’s experienced management team, leading engineers and scientists, superior technology, and volume production capacity are ready to meet your electricity and steam needs. The Ausra team brings to our customers expertise in every aspect of power generation and industrial steam applications, from R&D, engineering and manufacturing, through construction and operation.

Research and Development: Ausra's core group of chemists, physicists and engineers are working on thermal storage, optics, coatings, materials, and manufacturing processes to improve the performance and further reduce the cost of our solar thermal energy systems. Their ongoing refinements to our technology are extending Ausra's leadership in these fields.

Engineering: Ausra's engineering managers and engineers come from a variety of disciplines across the electric power and process steam industries. The team optimizes Ausra's existing technologies for production and brings new technologies from R&D into volume manufacturing. Ausra partners with leading consulting engineering firms to test and verify the energy production and lifecycle performance of its plants.

Manufacturing: Ausra's approach to solar plant production emphasizes manufacturing facilities located near customer sites, the use of standard commodity materials (steel, glass and concrete), and the application of mass-produced components. Ausra operates its own solar collector production facilities to deliver the highest performance at the lowest possible system cost.

Construction and Operation: Ausra brings to its customers extensive experience in building and operating large-scale power plants and industrial steam projects. Ausra's team has an outstanding track record of safe, clean, reliable operations.

Energy Independence and Security

There is tremendous potential for solar thermal technology to help America, and the global community, achieve energy security and independence. Ausra's core solar thermal technology, CLFR, provides a secure, domestic source of electricity and industrial steam with stable prices. It is pollution-free and can quickly scale to meet the growing demand for clean, reliable energy. Our technology protects customers against fuel price volatility, and is secure against any future costs of carbon emissions.

Powering the Economy

Ausra's business will benefit local economies by bringing "green collar" manufacturing, construction and operating jobs to rural and urban communities in the United States and by spurring new investment that will make the U.S. and global economy increasingly sustainable and prosperous. By delivering clean, reliable energy at cost-competitive prices, Ausra is helping meet America's growing needs for climate-friendly power while maintaining consumer-friendly prices.

Ausra At-a-Glance

Technology

  • Cost-Effective, Emissions-Free Electricity and Steam
  • Simple, Precise, Durable Design
  • Direct Saturated and Superheated Steam Systems
  • Most Land-Efficient Solar Technology
  • Maximum energy per acre
  • Non-Flammable, Non-Toxic Working Fluid (water/steam)
  • Zero Emissions
  • Reliable and Durable
  • Engineered for Tough Environmental Conditions
  • Modular and Scalable
  • Rapid Deployment and Installation

Solar Energy Applications

  • Industrial Process Steam Applications
  • Power Augmentation for Fossil-Fired Plants
  • Standalone Solar Thermal and Solar-Hybrid Power Plants

Headquarters
303 Ravendale Drive
Mountain View, CA 94043
650-424-9300
www.ausra.com

Founded: 2006

Leading Greentech and Energy Investors
Khosla Ventures
Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers
KERN Partners
Generation Investment Management
Starfish Ventures

Locations
California
Arizona
Nevada
Australia