Perhaps because the news first came late last Friday night (via Reuters), there hasn’t been much buzz about the fact that solar thermal start-up Ausra Inc. has put itself up for sale. Ausra has had a bit of a roller-coaster ride as a business, starting in Australia but relocating to California to produce its solar thermal electric-generation technology, and going from darling of the solar power plant industry to…well, this.
The company uses a form of concentrated solar power (CSP), where mirrors focus reflected light on water-filled tubes. The water boils, producing steam; the steam turns a traditional steam turbine. When you have a lot of land and a lot of sun–say, in the middle of Nevada, where Ausra built a factory–this can be an excellent, efficient use of solar energy.
After both manufacturing the equipment and developing projects, Ausra decided to focus just on equipment earlier this year in an attempt to find its footing in the weak market. Whether it will return to dual-track mode once bought or if it will stay a manufacturer only remains to be seen.
When Ausra has a firm deal in hand, no doubt it will make a bigger splash in the solar news world; for now, this is insider gossip only.
New blog post: Ausra Solar For Sale http://www.getsolar.com/blog/ausra-solar-for-sale/2819/