Ascent Solar’s Flexible Lightweight PV Modules Selected by Vanguard Space Technologies

Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. announced that its flexible, lightweight PV modules were selected by Vanguard Space Technologies for its NASA Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) program. The NASA program is intended to develop an economical, lightweight alternative to existing and emerging high-cost solar arrays for high-power space applications.

Vanguard will utilize proprietary space environment protection technology along with automated manufacturing approaches to create an ultra-thin, high power-to-weight ratio, large space solar array. These arrays will be enabled by Ascent’s flexible copper-indium-gallium-selenium (CIGS) technology; Ascent will leverage its experience with space-based solar products to provide space-optimized variants of their production PV.

“Existing and emerging space solar cell technologies, particularly when utilized in very large scale solar arrays, can present problems to the spacecraft designer, both in terms of cost and availability,” said Dr. Joseph Armstrong, CTO of Ascent Solar. “By starting with our production CIGS monolithically-integrated modules, we can provide Vanguard with a module that is tuned for the space environment, and in a similar way to our products enabling novel commercial goods, our space CIGS modules will enable Vanguard to utilize its unique protective coating and design expertise to succeed in their goal of providing NASA an economical pathway for powering these future missions.”

“The advent of our extreme environment thin film coatings, automated manufacturing friendly array design, and Ascent’s proven cell technology provides an ideal solution for next generation durable, affordable, large-area space solar arrays,” said Frank Belknap, CEO of Vanguard.