Adding to AREVA’s renewable energy portfolio of offshore wind and bioenergies, AREVA acquired U.S. solar company Ausra in February. The California-based company is a provider of large-scale concentrated solar power solutions for electricity generation and industrial steam production.

More information on AREVA Solar’s Technology and a video tour of the facility is available here.

When it recently acquired Ausra (now AREVA Solar), AREVA knew it was getting a proven technology and an experienced management team. Now AREVA can say it got an Innovation All-Star.

In its March 2010 issue, Fast Company named Ausra one of its 59 Innovation All-Stars. Fast Company is an award-winning monthly magazine and web site covering the business of innovation. These Innovation All-stars were featured for their activities in 2008 and 2009 when they “fought a dour economy with renewed creativity and bold initiatives.”

Ausra was chosen specifically because it shifted its business strategy away from developing large-scale solar thermal power plants in the face of industry-wide tight project financing markets and permitting delays. Instead, the company focused on selling its proven solar steam generation technology to other power producers and industrial steam customers. Fast Company noted, “Within a few months, Ausra 2.0 had already struck deals with buyers in Jordan, Australia, and the United States.”

This innovative thinking is part of what AREVA Solar will use in its efforts to achieve the dominant market share of the projected 20 gigawatt concentrated solar power plant market by 2020.

AREVA announced today that it has agreed to acquire U.S. solar company Ausra. Ausra is a California-based provider of large-scale concentrated solar power solutions for electricity generation and industrial steam production.

Utilizing Ausra’s management team and proven technology, this acquisition launches AREVA’s new solar energy business on a global scale.

Liddell Solar/Coal-Fired Power

By combining Ausra’s proven technology with AREVA’s years of project experience and world class Engineering, Procurement, and Construction skills, AREVA commits to building the most cost-effective concentrated solar power for energy customers around the world.
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