Recession lowers all boats

In the solar industry the recession is pushing one player from operator to vendor. Ausra, based in Silicon Valley, is giving up its plans to build huge solar generating plants. Instead the firm will focus on selling components and solar facilities to existing utilities. Ausra is abandoning for now its billion dollars worth of cap ex plans, and will focus on trying to sell its gear and technology to others for their cap ex. Several other solar firms in California are also laying off, cutting back. Ausra has VC backing from both Khosla Ventures and Kleiner Perkins. Duke Energy is citing conflicting state and federal tax regs as the reason it may have to stop some of its announced solar installations.