Ascent Solar Technologies Achieves Efficiency of 17.73% for CIGS Technology, and design improvements allow for Superior Space Solar Array Power Capabilities
November 16 2023 - 5:14PM
Ascent Solar Technologies, (Nasdaq: ASTI) (“ASTI” or the
“Company”), the leading U.S. innovator in the design and
manufacture of featherweight, flexible, and durable CIGS thin-film
photovoltaic (PV) solutions, announced today that the latest test
results of its proprietary CIGS technology show an efficiency
increase from 17.55% to 17.73%.
This milestone achievement will
feature:
- The Company’s Plug & FlyTM
integrated thin-film solar array subsystems to generate more power
- with less mass and volume requirements - outperforming heavier
and costlier counterparts that space mission directors have
historically used.
- Increased efficiency allowing
Ascent to provide drop-in replacement array panels for satellites
that produce more power, while also requiring reduced structure and
deployment subsystem mass and complexity. This is achieved due to
the PV cell packing efficiencies within the Company’s modules,
which provide active power generating capabilities for greater
coverage of the solar array’s surface area than would be possible
by individually integrating orders of magnitude smaller solar cells
and handling the complicated network of interconnections that comes
with them.
- Ascent’s drop-in replacement solar
array panels streamline the array assembly and integration process,
eliminating the laborious undertaking of picking, placing,
soldering, and wiring each individual solar cell in a
cleanroom.
“Our fully-encapsulated arrays are now
generating more than a watt per gram of integrated array panel,
creating a notable differentiator between Ascent and other solar
manufacturers active in the space tech market,” said Paul Warley,
CEO of Ascent Solar Technologies. “We’re anticipating product
deliveries of our new high-efficiency CIGS space products for Q1/Q2
2024 with a megaconstellation’s worth of annual production
capacity. Our capital efficiency improvements also enable Ascent to
provide customers with lower product costs, coupled with superior
power and efficiency capabilities, especially compared to the rigid
alternatives available in space solar.”
As global concerns around the issue of dangerous
space debris grow, and more entities spearhead initiatives like the
European Space Agency’s Zero Debris Charter, the space industry
requires customizable solutions like Ascent’s flexible, thin-film
solar arrays. The Company's products require no brittle coverglass
and - unlike silicon cells and arrays - should not create more
debris if impacted by space debris or difficult to detect
micrometeoroids. Ascent’s technology can generate a reduced level
of power if penetrated by debris, rather than losing functionality
of the entire panel or array.
Beyond standardized space Hardware Developer Kit
(HDK) products, such as the recently developed Titan modules,
Ascent is receiving interest and inquiries for drop-in replacement
panels for existing satellites. Many of the inquiries result from
lack of availability, as manufacturers currently have backlogs due
to supply chain bottlenecks, along with the onerous labor
requirements for assembly, integration, and testing of individual
silicon PV cells.
Please reach out to sales@ascentsolar.com with
any HDK or drop-in replacement inquiries.
ABOUT ASCENT SOLAR TECHNOLOGIES,
INC.
Backed by 40 years of R&D, 15 years of
manufacturing experience, numerous awards, and a comprehensive IP
and patent portfolio, Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. is a leading
provider of innovative, high-performance, flexible thin-film solar
panels for use in environments where mass, performance,
reliability, and resilience matter. Ascent’s photovoltaic (PV)
modules have been deployed on space missions, multiple airborne
vehicles, agrivoltaic installations, in industrial/commercial
construction as well as an extensive range of consumer goods,
revolutionizing the use cases and environments for solar power.
Ascent Solar’s research and development center and 4.5-MW nameplate
production facility is in Thornton, Colorado. To learn more, visit
https://www.ascentsolar.com or follow the Company on LinkedIn and X
(formerly Twitter).
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Statements in this press release that are not
statements of historical or current fact constitute
"forward-looking statements" including statements about the
financing transaction, our business strategy, and the potential
uses of the proceeds from the transaction. Such forward-looking
statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other
unknown factors that could cause the company's actual operating
results to be materially different from any historical results or
from any future results expressed or implied by such
forward-looking statements. We have based these forward-looking
statements on our current assumptions, expectations, and
projections about future events. In addition to statements that
explicitly describe these risks and uncertainties, readers are
urged to consider statements that contain terms such as “will,”
"believes," "belief," "expects," "expect," "intends," "intend,"
"anticipate," "anticipates," "plans," "plan," to be uncertain and
forward-looking. No information in this press release should be
construed as any indication whatsoever of our future revenues,
stock price, or results of operations. The forward-looking
statements contained herein are also subject generally to other
risks and uncertainties that are described from time to time in the
company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission
including those discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” in our
most recently filed reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q.
MEDIA CONTACTSpencer HerrmannFischTank
PRascent@fischtankpr.com
INVESTOR CONTACTJames MastersVallum
Advisorsir@ascentsolar.com
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