Founded in 2006, Ausra is a technology company which focuses on solar-thermal electrical (STE) power production. STE power is an advanced form of solar power generation that utilizes heat rather than light (the method more commonly found in solar panels). Based in Palo Alto, California, this relatively young company has already netted over $40 million in investments from firms such as Khosla Ventures and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. The attraction of investors to Ausra is that their approach to solar power focuses on utility, large-scale, and cheaply produced panels which are also able to generate more power than other designs. This improved approach utilizes compact linear fresnel reflectors (or CLFRs). According to IeeeSpectrum.com, “The mirrors appear to be solid but are actually made up of many smaller, movable reflectors, each with a slight curve. The system uses nearly flat mirrors at ground level that focus the sun's light onto water-filled steel tubes. When the water boils, it directly drives a steam turbine to generate electricity.”

Ausra’s innovations are based on technological designs by the company’s CEO, David Mills. Mills has been a researcher since 1975, and from 1980 to 2006, he conducted solar energy research at the University of Sydney in Australia. Although Fortune reports that solar power only represents roughly 1% of the power grid in the U.S., it is a booming field. In July, 2008, Ausra opened its first factory in Nevada to begin production of its thermal solar panels and mirrors. The demand for land, particularly in the ‘sun rich’ American southwest has increased dramatically in recent years. Companies such as BrightSource Energy are making a grab for acreage to get a share of what is estimated to be a solar power market worth 45 billion by 2020. With immense national and international attention being paid to the development of green technologies and renewable energy sources, it can be expected that investment in the development of solar-energy will increase. An economically viable and productive method, Ausra’s solar-thermal electrical (STE) approach is on the cutting edge of innovation for solar-energy technology.

There are numerous economic and political implications that go along with the wide-spread implementation of solar-thermal power in the United States. Ausra claims that it would only require about 8500 sq. mi. (92x92, specifically) of its CLFR panels to reduce United States green house gas emissions by 50 percent. Going further than that, it may be possible for Americans to get a majority of their power from solar energy, particularly from solar-thermal electricity, because solar-thermal is capable of being stored, and generated on demand during day or night. Such a shift towards solar-thermal and away from dependence on foreign oil would have dramatic impact on U.S. political relations with various countries around the world, particularly members of OPEC. Austra’s innovative technological foundations paired with the emerging clean-energy market (and the demand for that energy) give Ausra the potential for a strong, successful future.

Labels: Advanced Energy