News

8 July 2009

 

Ascent Solar’s production CIGS PV modules exceed 10% efficiency

Ascent Solar Technologies Inc of Thornton, CO, USA has achieved its initial target efficiency goal of 10% for its flexible thin-film photovoltaic copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) monolithically integrated modules.

The US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has independently verified that the modules have a conversion efficiency as high as 10.4% (up on the 9.64% verified by NREL last December). The latest modules tested at NREL were standard 429cm2 modules produced by Ascent Solar’s 1.5MW production line (at its original headquarters in Littleton, CO), which entered commercial production in first-quarter 2009.

“This is a significant breakthrough in demonstrating our ability to manufacture monolithically integrated flexible CIGS modules with greater than 10% module efficiency in commercial production,” says Dr Prem Nath, senior VP of production operations. Ascent’s high-volume 30MW commercial plant in Thornton is scheduled to start initial production at the beginning of 2010. “Module efficiency of 10% is a vital element for our low-cost-per-watt manufacturing goal in high volume and will establish Ascent Solar as a leader in the production of lightweight flexible photovoltaics used for portable power and building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) products,” Nath adds.

“Ascent Solar has made progress in advancing the state-of-the-art flexible, lightweight thin-film CIGS PV technology,” says Dr Harin S. Ullal, senior project manager for the National Center for Photovoltaics at NREL.

See related item:

Ascent makes 2kg flexible 5m-long CIGS PV laminate

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