Johns Manville to Install Ascent Solar CIGS Modules at Existing Installation to Evaluate Performance Against Current Thin-Film Products

Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. and Johns Manville announced, after extensive internal product development and testing, thin-film copper indium gallium (di)selenide (CIGS) laminated modules from Ascent Solar are ready for beta test deployment at the JM Technical Center (JMTC) in Littleton, CO. The Ascent Solar IEC 61646 (20 year life expectancy) certified and UL certification (safety test) pending modules will be compared side-by-side against existing thin-film modules currently installed at JMTC.

“This is an important step forward in our ongoing collaboration with Ascent Solar,” noted Dr. Tim Swales, Johns Manville vice president of R&D. “The installation at our test site will provide the performance data we need in order to demonstrate the readiness of Ascent’s emerging high-power lightweight CIGS modules in order to make it available to our customers. As valued partners, we look forward to further collaboration and assessment of their product and ensuring our customers are successful.”

The test installation is done to collect performance data, evaluate architecture aesthetics and showcase the potential of Ascent Solar’s CIGS high-power modules against the current thin-film technology. For the pilot, installation modules have been applied to the top surface of the roofing membrane. The long-term objective is to integrate the modules into the roofing material itself as a factory-applied solution that JM markets under the Power Blanket brand. This external deployment will help set a standard for the integration and installation of lightweight flexible CIGS modules going forward as this will be the first time a CIGS monolithically integrated module manufactured using a plastic substrate has been integrated onto an existing commercial roofing installation for competitive commercial evaluation.

Ascent Solar President and CEO Farhad Moghadam added, “We are pleased that our product development with Johns Manville has progressed to this stage. Our lightweight, durable and high-power CIGS modules are an ideal match for true integration into the Johns Manville commercial roofing material product line. Installation onto the test site is a real indication that our product development is progressing and is crucial to our viability for larger system installations down the road.”

“Now that we have established IEC 61646 certification and have UL certification pending, we are pleased to launch pilot project installations with an industry leader like JM. Ascent Solar’s entry to the BAPV market with the highest power density flexible solutions and highest power modules will enable a new level of power production for flexible commercial applications,” noted Rafael Gutierrez, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Ascent Solar.