Ausra Opens First U.S. Solar Thermal Power Factory  

Ausra has announced they have opened their first production line for manufacturing solar thermal power plant components.

Ausra, the developer of utility-scale solar thermal power headquartered in Palo Alto, CA, today officially opened the reflector production line of its first North American manufacturing and distribution center in Las Vegas. The 130,000-square-foot, highly automated manufacturing and distribution center will supply the reflectors, absorber tubes, and other key components of the company's solar thermal power plants to the rapidly growing Southwestern solar power industry.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Ausra President and CEO Robert Fishman officially started the reflector production line. ... "This is a crossover point for this industry," said Fishman. "Ausra's factory is accelerating Nevada's and America's solar future by tripling worldwide manufacturing capacity, relieving the supply constraint that has slowed the industry, and continuing to drive down costs. By a 94 percent majority, the American public wants solar power development to help address rising prices for traditional energy sources. We're ready to respond now with a clean, reliable and cost-competitive energy choice that will be an economic development machine for the country. Herein Southern Nevada alone, developers are planning over $50 billion of future solar power plants."