Between $0.25bn - 0.5bn paid for Ausra US thermal solar&gaz by nuclear Areva

The world's largest nuclear plant builder, Areva SA, is diversifying into solar power with the aim of

becoming an industry leader in Solar 2012, as it acquires U.S.-based solar thermal player Ausra

"This market is set to have 20 gigawatts by the year 2020.

Areva has an objective to be a world leader in solar energy" by 2012,

said Anil Srivastava, senior executive vice president of Areva's renewable

energies business group. Fishman said the group will target two key markets:

impendent power plants and adding solar projects to existing coal and natural gas-fired plants.

Ausra’s investors,

which include Kleiner Perkins, Khosla Ventures, Al Gore’s Generation Investment,

Alberta, Canada-based KERN Partners and Melbourne, Australia-based Starfish Ventures, they’re

going to need a sizable exit to consider the sale a success. Ausra has raised around $130 million

to date and was founded in 2006.

SOLEL bought for $418m

In comparison 14-year-old Solel, which raised at least $100 million and employs several hundred people,

was bought for $418 million. Solel claims a revenue of nearly $90 million for the first half of this year,

thanks to a solar receiver supply business and its work engineering, planning and building solar fields.

Solar/natural gas hybrid power projects represent a “tremendous opportunity,”