Palo Alto, Calif.-based Ausra opened its 5-megawatt Kimberlina solar thermal power project near Bakersfield, Calif on October 23, 2008.
It’s the first plant in North America with Ausra’s Compact Linear Fresnel Reflector solar collector and steam generation system, which uses mirrors and heat to turn water into steam. The company says the product is scalable, low cost and land-use efficient.
“This plant proves that our technology is real, it works, and it’s ready to power businesses or provide process steam for industries now,” CEO Robert Fishman said in a release. The plant, built in seven months, is expected to power 3,500 homes.
Ausra has raised $133 million in venture equity and debt financing. Ausra used part of the most recent round to complete the Kimberlina project.
The company says it now plans to focus on building its 177-MW solar thermal plant in central California. Ausra signed a power-purchase agreement for the Carrizo Plains project with San Francisco’s Pacific Gas & Electric. That facility is expected to power 120,000 homes.
Ausra has said solar thermal has the potential to provide more than 90 percent of the U.S. electricity demand.
If US could get 90% energy from sun, it will be true for India too.