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

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.

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.

This acquisition reflects AREVA’s strategic objective to be the world leader in concentrated solar power. It also adds another important sustainable energy source to AREVA’s portfolio of renewable energy solutions, which already includes offshore wind and biomass.

AREVA has constructed more than 100 biomass facilities constructed around the world. Through ADAGE, a joint venture with Duke Energy, AREVA is using this expertise to build biopower (biomass to electricity) plants in the United States. Just last week ADAGE announced its third proposed facility in Washington State. AREVA’s activities in wind power are concentrated in large-scale offshore technology. Mulitbrid, the AREVA subsidiary, has built six 5 MW offshore wind turbines that are already operating in the German North Sea as part of the Alpha Ventus project.

Anil Srivastava, head of AREVA’s Renewables Business Group, summarized the importance of this saying, “by acquiring Ausra, AREVA has taken a major step forward to achieve its strategic ambition in renewables. The Group intends to become the world leader in the concentrated solar power market thanks to a reliable, cost-effective product.”

View the complete press release here.

Also, find out more information on AREVA’s renewable energies and ADAGE.