Ausra Names Thomas Bartolomei New SVP for Business Development

Power industry veteran to lead Ausra’s solar thermal systems sales team and accelerate the company’s global market reach

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., June 16 /PRNewswire/ — Ausra, Inc., a leading provider of large-scale solar steam systems for electricity generation and industrial processes, today announced Thomas J. Bartolomei as senior vice president, business development. Bartolomei joins Ausra with nearly 20 years of achievement in the energy industry, bringing in-depth experience in every aspect of business development, project management and engineering for leading international energy firms.

“The global market appetite for low-emissions energy sources is creating tremendous opportunities for Ausra to deploy its solar steam systems,” said Ausra CEO Robert E. Fishman. “Tom’s experience in the energy industry will accelerate our ability to deploy our solar steam systems at existing fossil-fired plants, new standalone solar and solar/fossil hybrid plants, and for a diverse range of industrial customers. Our systems will provide long-term value to customers who seek to reduce emissions while implementing a reliable, cost-effective energy solution.”

In this new role for Ausra, Bartolomei will lead the expansion of Ausra’s solar steam business, initially focusing on power generation and industrial process steam markets in the United States, Australia and the Middle East. He will also be key to continuing Ausra’s transition from a power plant developer to a solar steam system supplier.

“I’m here because of Ausra’s extraordinary growth potential, its people and its proven solar steam systems,” stated Bartolomei. “Ausra’s OEM-focused strategy and diverse product offerings provide significant value for customers throughout the world, beginning with its R&D, engineering and state-of-the-art manufacturing, and ultimately the company’s installation of high performance solar thermal energy equipment.”

“Ausra has a first mover advantage in a rapidly expanding and evolving industry,” added Bartolomei. “This is a company that has operational traction, a measured approach and delivers on its strategy, successfully transitioning from a traditional power plant developer to a customer-focused solar steam system supplier.”

Ausra manufactured and built the first solar thermal power plant to deliver electricity to California’s power grid in nearly 20 years, developed and installed the world’s first solar/coal-fired power augmentation facility for a major Australian utility, and is the first solar steam boiler manufacturer to be awarded the prestigious American Society of Mechanical Engineers “S” Stamp.

Prior to joining Ausra, Bartolomei was vice president of sales & marketing of the Power and Industrial division of Burns and Roe Enterprises, Inc., a leading global Engineer-Procure-Construct-Operate firm. He also served as vice president of international sales for Alstom Power, Inc. (ABB Combustion Engineering Systems), where he developed and secured utility-scale domestic and international power projects, one of which was recognized by POWER Magazine as “Power Plant of the Year” in 2004. He also held key engineering and business development positions for large-scale, coal-fired power stations in South Africa, China and Taiwan for a major U.S. boiler OEM. Bartolomei received his Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 1991.

About Ausra’s Technology and Solar Steam Systems

Ausra’s Compact Linear Fresnel Reflector (CLFR) solar thermal energy systems are simple, durable and scalable. As a solar steam power boiler, they produce steam directly from the sun using modular flat mirrors to focus the sun’s heat onto elevated centralized receivers, which consist of a system of tubes through which water flows. The concentrated sunlight boils the water in the tubes, generating high-pressure steam for use in power generation and industrial steam applications.

CLFR is the most land-efficient solar technology in operation, generating 1.5-to-3 times more power per acre of land than competing solar technologies. This high energy density translates into lower costs, a smaller environmental footprint and greater access to existing power plant and industrial sites. Additional information on Ausra’s CLFR technology is available at http://www.ausra.com/technology.

About Ausra, Inc.

Ausra is a leader in solar thermal energy design, development and manufacturing and is committed to serving the global power generation and industrial steam needs of its customers in a dependable, market-competitive and environmentally responsible manner. Headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., Ausra is a privately held company with operations in the United States and Australia. To learn more about Ausra and solar thermal energy, visit www.ausra.com.

SOURCE Ausra, Inc.