Aora Solar

Aora Solar has a unique, modular technology capable of generating electrical power a reality for billions across the globe living off the grid,  in remote communities, requiring a reliable, clean power, around the clock.

Yuval Susskind, COO and Co-Founder

Company History

Aora Solar was founded in 2002 as EDIG Solar, a member of the EDIG group of companies. The company has developed an advanced solar-hybrid power generation unit based on breakthrough intellectual property licensed from the Weizmann Institute of Science. The company built and operates  Israel’s first and only grid-connected solar thermal power plant in the Arava Valley at Kibbutz Samar.

Innovation

Aora’s modular, small-scale solar thermal units, comprise of a field of 30 tracking mirrors (heliostats) focus the sun’s rays onto the top of  a tower, where a gas turbine converts the 1000C heat energy into electrical energy. Unlike larger solar thermal systems that require a liquid (usually super-heated water or oil, used to generate steam), Aora’s systems needs no liquids to operate. In addition to solar heat energy, the unit can operate on fuel and biofuel, ensuring operation even with solar irradiation. Each modular unit produces 100kW electric in addition to 170kW thermal power,  enough to power about 70 US households.

These hybrid power system operates either on solar energy or on conventional fuel, thereby offering remote communities, uninterrupted power- 24/7.

Market & Strategy

Aora is focused on providing modular energy units to emerging economies, particularly India and China, where explosive population and growth of the middle class are driving demand for power where Generation, Transmission and Distribution infrastructure do not exist.

Competition

Although there are several major solar thermal companies, including leading Israeli companies BrightSource Energy and Siemens CSP (formerly Solel), they are focused on multi-hundred megawatt installations, which are significantly more capital intensive and face massive regulatory and other hurdles. Aora also competes with traditional solar PV and solar concentrated photovoltaic companies, but believes its modular and low-cost solar hybrid offering is unique solution in the spectrum of Rural Solar- solutions for off-grid communities.

Financials

In early 2007, Aora closed it’s initial $5M Series A funding round. Until then, the company had been founded and supported by EDIG, the parent company in the group.

Presently, Aora is in the process of seeking a $5M Series B round of financing.

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