News

23 April 2009

 

CIGS PV maker Ascent signs memorandum of understanding with Bye Aerospace

Ascent Solar Technologies Inc of Thornton, CO, USA (just north of Denver) has signed a memorandum of understanding to incorporate its flexible thin-film copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) photovoltaic technology into aircraft platforms under development at Bye Aerospace Inc, which is based near Denver.

Founded in 2007, Bye Aerospace (working in conjunction with subsidiary Bye Energy Inc) is adapting alternative energy technology to aircraft design for the business aviation and Department of Defense markets. “We are planning to utilize multiple sources of energy, and Ascent Solar’s PV technology is an ideal solution for capturing valuable solar energy,” says CEO George Bye. “We hope to begin bench testing with Ascent Solar's thin-film PV technology before year end,” he adds.

“Applications such as those being developed by Bye Aerospace are able to utilize the many advantages of our high-performance CIGS-on-polyimide PV technology, such as monolithic integration, low mass, and flexibility for conformal installation,” says Ascent Solar’s chief technical officer Dr Joseph Armstrong. “These advantages allow our product to adapt to many applications, from aerospace to building-integrated PV (BIPV), portable power and consumer electronics, and our work with Bye represents one of many development agreements we have to meet customer needs,” he adds. Products to support Bye Aerospace will be manufactured from Ascent Solar’s existing 1.5MW production line at its former headquarters in Littleton, CO. The firm is currently equipping a new 30MW plant at its new headquarters in Thornton, which is due to start production late this year.

See related items:

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