Solar Thermal Startup Ausra Secures $40M
There’s been a lot of chatter about the secretive solar thermal startup, Ausra, which was known to be backed by high-profile venture firms Khosla Ventures and Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers. The Palo Alto, Calif.-based startup decided to open the kimono a bit Monday morning and has announced that it has raised a series A round for more than $40 million.
Ausra’s solar thermal systems use mirrors and lenses to focus sunlight onto water or liquid-filled tubes, which in turn power steam turbines. The old school technology has come back into vogue over the past few years as a way for utilities to deliver large-scale sources of clean power — and meet clean energy regulations.
Israeli solar thermal company Solel Solar Systems recently scored a deal with PG&E (PCG), announced in July, to build an estimated $2 billion massive solar thermal plant in California’s Mohave Desert. Google’s (GOOG) energy czar, Bill Weihl, mentioned to us that solar thermal is one of the best-kept secrets when it comes to new choices for renewable energy.
A variety of solar technology has been getting a rush of funding over the past few weeks, including SolarCity, a solar installer, which said late Friday that it raised $21 million.
[...] presentations from the startups execs. Expect some news from the show — on Sunday night we wrote about how solar thermal startup Ausra, received over $40 million in funding from Khosla Ventures and Kleiner Perkins, Caulfield and [...]
[...] of over $40 million in financing from Khosla Ventures and Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers, which we wrote about on Sunday. We asked Mills today what he thinks is the one thing needed to help solar thermal replace coal. [...]
[...] and lenses to focus sunlight onto liquid-filled tubes, which in turn power steam turbines, and recently raised a round of over $40 million in financing from Khosla Ventures and Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & [...]
[...] whose firm has invested in solar thermal startup Ausra, builder of utility-scale solar thermal power plants, said solar “is probably the single best [...]
[...] Comments Posted November 5th, 2007 at 8:37 am in Startups The solar thermal startup Ausra only started talking publicly in September, but already the Khosla and Kleiner Perkins-backed Silicon Valley company is one of the more high [...]
[...] solar thermal startup Ausra only started talking publicly in September, but already the Khosla and Kleiner Perkins-backed Silicon Valley company is one of the more high [...]
[...] Piper Jaffray Clean Technology and Renewables Conference. And whoa, does it entail a lot of cash! While Ausra said it had raised $40 million back in September, our buddy Martin LaMonica at CNET reports that the solar startup [...]
[...] thermal company called Torresol. Another competitor in the market, Ausra, has received more than $40 million from blue-chip venture capitalists. Yet another player, Abengoa, recently signed a $4 billion [...]