Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc., Littleton, CO, now making rolls of 9.5% efficiency CIGS solar cells on plastic -- ready for roofs: Rich Murray 2008.07.15

[Rich Murray]

Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc., Littleton, CO, now making rolls of 9.5% efficiency CIGS solar cells on plastic -- ready for roofs: Rich Murray 2008.07.15


http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS207675+30-Jun-2008+BW20080630

US Air Force Awards Ascent Solar High Efficiency Solar Cell Program
Mon Jun 30, 2008 3:48pm EDT
 
LITTLETON, Colo.-- (Business Wire) --
Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. ("Ascent Solar") (NASDAQ: ASTI ), a
developer of state-of-the-art, thin-film photovoltaic materials,
announced today that the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) has
selected Ascent Solar for a Broad Agency Announcement award to develop
high-performance thin-film multijunction photovoltaics (PV) based on
Ascent Solar's flexible monolithically integrated CIGS technology. The
new contract represents approximately $1.5 million in value over a
48-month period.

   Since 1995, AFRL has provided funding for the development of the
flexible CIGS at ITN Energy Systems, Inc. and now at Ascent Solar,
including the development of aspects of future multijunction devices.
Multijunction solar cells are two or more solar cells in a stack,
where each solar cell collects a specific portion of the solar
spectrum. The top cell in this configuration collects the blue portion
of the solar spectrum, the bottom cell collects the red portion of the
spectrum, and cells in between collect the rest of the visible
spectrum. This type of technology can result in higher performance and
lower losses when translating from the small-area cell level to
monolithically integrated modules.

   Ascent Solar Chief Technical Officer Dr. Joseph Armstrong stated,
"We are excited about this new opportunity to work with AFRL. The
program will support the continued development of our new
multijunction technology platform from which we intend to proceed with
multijunction devices and prototype module demonstrations. Efficient
conversion of the sun's energy is very critical to space and
near-space applications, in that higher efficiencies correlate to
smaller, lighter-weight solar arrays, and significantly lower launch
cost. The technology that we intend to develop under this new program
should also benefit our terrestrial building integrated photovoltaic
(BIPV) applications, such as roofing tiles and building facades that
operate at elevated temperatures."

   About Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc.

Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. is a developer of thin-film
photovoltaic modules and is located in Littleton, Colorado.
       
Ascent Solar Technologies Inc
www.ascentsolar.com
8120 Shaffer Pkwy
Littleton, CO 80127
[phone]

Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc.
Investor Relations Contact:
Brian Blackman, 832-515-0928
[hidden email]
or
Media Contact:
Brand Fortified Public Relations
Kelly Brandner, 303-289-4303
[hidden email]

Copyright Business Wire 2008


http://seekingalpha.com/article/29830-ascent-solar-technologies-shares-soar-upon-news-of-norsk-hydro-buy

Ascent Solar Technologies: Shares Soar Upon News of Norsk Hydro Buy
by: Russ Arensman posted on: March 19, 2007 | about stocks: ASTI / NHY    

Shares of Littleton’s Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. (ASTI) were one of the hottest items on the Nasdaq stock exchange on Wednesday, soaring 89% on news that Norway’s Norsk Hydro ASA (NHY) bought 23% of the Colorado company for $9.2 million.

Ascent -- which is developing thin-film copper-indium-gallium-diselenide [CIGS] photovoltaic cells that can be manufactured on flexible, low-cost plastic substrates -- also gave Norsk Hydro an option to purchase another 12% of its shares later this year, subject to stockholder approval.

Ascent plans to build a 1.5 megawatt [MW] per year pilot manufacturing plant in the Denver area in 2008. By 2010 it aims to begin large-scale production from a 25 MW per year plant.

Smart Money writer Will Swarts, whose article on Ascent Wednesday was headlined “One Day Wonder,” notes that the company’s market cap soared from $25 million on Monday to $34 million in just two days.

At Thursday morning’s peak share price of $9.43, the company’s market cap briefly flirted with the $50 million mark before settling back to $43 million (@7.99 a share) by the end of the trading day.

Still, it’s not too bad for company that spun off last year from Littleton government contractor ITN Energy Systems Inc., went public in July at $5.50 a share (raising $16.5 million) and has languished at $2 to $3 a share until this month.

The solar energy industry -- which got a boost last week from the US Energy Department’s plan to provide up to $168 million in development funds for 13 solar energy projects -- suddenly has become one of Wall Street’s darlings.

But investors would do well to exercise caution, and avoid being swept up in what New York Times writer Matt Richtel on Wednesday referred to as the next “watt-com” boom.

ASTI 1-yr chart

Disclosure: Author has no position in any of the above-mentioned securities.


http://www.ascentsolar.com/x.php?page=17

Ascent Solar plans to move its state-of-the-art, thin-film photovoltaic (PV) materials and modules from development into production beginning in early 2008 when the company completes its new manufacturing facility. Unique advantages over earlier product generations and other technologies in the marketplace include:

The product will be manufactured in large roll formats at the module level using a proprietary monolithic laser-patterned cell integration process that enables individual cells to be interconnected during production. This innovation eliminates the time-intensive cell to cell connections and assembly operations required with other technologies to build up modules.

Modules are produced on durable, light weight plastic in contrast to first generation products on metal foils that were developed over 12 years ago. The plastic substrate materials result in extremely high specific power levels, compactness and flexibility that enable the products to be configured into a wide variety of rolls, foldable packs, or traditional module formats.

The large roll formats allow for direct integration into roofing membranes and other building materials and the large sizes significantly reduces the number of modules required for a typical application.

Ascent Solar and its parent company, ITN Energy Systems, are early developers and manufacturers of multi-megawatt, roll-to-roll production equipment for CIGS photovoltaics on flexible substrates. Ascent Solar plans to be the first solar technology company to take monolithically integrated PV on plastic into full production. Production tools are now at the fourth generation level -- fully incorporating proprietary intelligent processing and sensor based controls that have demonstrated exceptional yield and uniformity in manufacturing on first generation products.



http://www.ascentsolar.com/view.php?tg=press&id=58

Ascent Solar Achieves Key Manufacturing Milestone -- March 31, 2008

LITTLETON, Colo. -- (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTI) announced today that the company has achieved its first quarter 2008 manufacturing milestone of Initial Operating Capability (IOC) on its 1.5 megawatt production line.

Ascent Solar employs a unique roll-to-roll manufacturing process to produce photovoltaic modules on large format plastic rolls. The first set of production runs with the new processing tools resulted in better than expected average efficiencies of 9.5% including a high efficiency of 10.27%. Uniformity in the manufacturing processes and tools has met company targets for the initial production trials by achieving overall thin-film uniformity of plus or minus approximately 3% across the width of the roll and plus or minus approximately 2% along its length.

Ascent Solar’s Senior Vice President for Manufacturing, Dr. Prem Nath stated, “IOC is an important milestone for Ascent Solar. Our entire manufacturing team is very pleased with the initial results, including the process uniformities demonstrated by our new production tools. We now intend to focus our efforts on repeatability, production yields and continued efficiency improvements.”

Ascent Solar plans to begin limited commercial production by the end of the second quarter of 2008, supplying development and test modules to customers in support of joint product development efforts currently underway, and initiating product certification activities.


http://finance.google.com/finance?q=NASDAQ:ASTI


Jul 15 - Close 8.86  -0.29 (-3.17%) Open: 8.93  P/E: - Dividend: -
High: 9.15  52Wk High:  28.35 Low: 8.58 52Wk Low: 6.50  
Vol: 328,611.00     Avg Vol: 571,000.00 EPS:  -0.71  Inst. Own:  8%


Mkt Cap:  124.48M
F P/E:  - Yield:  -
Beta:  1.00  Shares: 14.05M

In mutual service,  Rich Murray [hidden email]  505-501-2298



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