Corporate Overview

Utility-scale solar power. Market prices. Now.

Ausra develops and deploys utility-scale solar thermal power technology to serve global electricity needs in a dependable, market-competitive, environmentally responsible manner.

Ausra's zero-carbon power plants generate electricity at current market prices for fossil-fired power without the emissions caused by burning fuels. Solar concentrators boil water with focused sunlight, generating high-pressure steam that drives conventional turbine generators. Low-cost thermal energy storage systems now under development by Ausra will allow solar electric power to be generated on demand, day and night.

Electric utilities in the U.S. and worldwide are under growing pressure to expand their deliveries of clean, renewable power. The Ausra team brings together expertise in solar energy research, engineering, manufacturing, power project development and finance to address this need. The company designs, manufactures and deploys low-cost, large-scale, solar electric power stations, selling electric power at prices competitive with today's fossil-fired generation.

Ausra's core technology, the Compact Linear Fresnel Reflector (CLFR) solar collector and steam generation system, was originally conceived in the early 1990s at Sydney University. It was first commercialized by Solar Heat and Power Pty Ltd. in 2004 in Australia and is now being refined and built at large scale by Ausra around the world.

CLFR technology has significant advantages in cost, scalability and emissions profile. Ausra develops large-scale power projects incorporating CLFR solar fields, and helps utilities generate clean energy for millions of customers.

Innovation in Action

• Research and Development: Ausra's core group of chemists, physicists and engineers are working on optics, coatings, materials and manufacturing processes to improve the performance and reduce the cost of solar collector systems, thermal energy storage systems and power plant cooling systems. Their ongoing refinements to Ausra's technology will continue to reduce costs and extend Ausra's leadership in these fields.
• Engineering: Ausra's engineering managers and engineers come from a variety of disciplines across the electric power industry. 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 energy production and lifecycle performance of its plants.
• Manufacturing: Ausra's approach to solar plant production emphasizes manufacturing facilities located near power plants, low-cost commodity materials (steel, glass and concrete), and mass produced components. Ausra operates its own production facilities for the manufacture of its solar collectors to deliver the highest performance at lowest possible system costs.
• Project Management: Ausra draws experts from many sectors of the energy industry to manage land permits, project finance and power purchase agreements. The team has a strong track record of success with multiple generations of technologies.

Solar Thermal Electric Power is Energy Independence and Security
We have a secure source of electric power with guaranteed stable prices, no emissions, and the ability to scale to meet all our needs. With a 20-year track record of over 99 percent availability, solar thermal electric power has proven to be a dependable source of electric power for America's growing energy needs. Solar power is entirely domestically produced, is protected against fuel price and availability fluctuations, and is secure against future costs of carbon emissions.

Ausra's innovations in collector design dramatically reduce the cost of solar thermal generation equipment and bring solar power to prices directly competitive with fossil fuel power.

Using Ausra's current solar technologies, all U.S. electric power, day and night, can be generated using a land area smaller than 92 by 92 miles.

Ausra's business will benefit local economies by bringing “green collar” manufacturing and operating jobs to rural communities. By delivering clean, reliable energy at market-competitive prices, Ausra will help meet America's growing needs for climate-friendly power while maintaining consumer-friendly prices.

Ausra At-a-Glance

Headquarters
2585 E. Bayshore Rd.
Palo Alto, CA 94303
www.ausra.com

Founded 2006

Private; investors Khosla Ventures and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers

First 1 MW Solar Field Installation, 2004

A 180-MW solar power plant uses one square mile of land.

The U.S. can be permanently energy independent and eliminate half its greenhouse emissions using a land area smaller than 92x92 miles, without increased electric power prices.