Ascent Solar
Encyclopedia
Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. is a publicly traded solar energy company located in Littleton
Colorado
. Its primary product is a flexible thin film
photovoltaic material on a plastic substrate. These thin-film solar modules are manufactured using copper indium gallium (di)selenide
(CIGS), which has shown a 19.5% NREL efficiency in real-world conditions, slightly above amorphous silicon
and significantly above CdTe
. Ascent is focusing primarily on space, near-space and terrestrial applications for their solar products.
Ascent Solar was founded in 2005 by ITN Energy Systems, a company engaged in commercializing emerging energy technologies through spin-offs and joint ventures. During the first few years of operation, its primary focus was to research the CIGS thin-film technology as well as researching efficient methods for manufacturing. Currently, Ascent is focusing on entering its production phase with the construction of its second-generation roll-to-roll production plant which will begin manufacturing product in 2008.
On July 18, 2006, Ascent completed its IPO
, releasing 3,000,000 shares at 5.50 USD
per share. In June 2007, Norsk Hydro ASA
, a Norwegian
based supplier of aluminum products, entered into a deal with Ascent whereby it purchased 23% of Ascent shares with the option to increase that stake to up to 35%, which it did on October 7, 2008. Ascent has also entered into research and production deals with Texsa S.A., a Spanish
roofing company along with other companies. Ascent has also partnered with the U.S. Air Force
on several different research and development contracts.
On September 22, 2008, Ascent's then CEO, Matthew Foster, stepped down from his position. His reason for doing so was cited as an agreement between him and the company as the company changed from research-driven to production-driven. He will remain with Ascent as a consultant for an additional year after his retirement date.
On March 11, 2009, Ascent Solar commenced regular production at their facility in Colorado. The company began with a one-shift production schedule and will eventually shift to a 1.5 MW capacity at three shifts per day.
Littleton, Colorado
Littleton is a Home Rule Municipality contained in Arapahoe, Douglas, and Jefferson counties in the U.S. state of Colorado. Littleton is a suburb of the Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Statistical Area. Littleton is the county seat of Arapahoe County and the 20th most populous city in the state of...
Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. Its primary product is a flexible thin film
Thin film
A thin film is a layer of material ranging from fractions of a nanometer to several micrometers in thickness. Electronic semiconductor devices and optical coatings are the main applications benefiting from thin film construction....
photovoltaic material on a plastic substrate. These thin-film solar modules are manufactured using copper indium gallium (di)selenide
Copper indium gallium selenide
Copper indium gallium selenide is a I-III-VI2 semiconductor material composed of copper, indium, gallium, and selenium. The material is a solid solution of copper indium selenide and copper gallium selenide...
(CIGS), which has shown a 19.5% NREL efficiency in real-world conditions, slightly above amorphous silicon
Amorphous silicon
Amorphous silicon is the non-crystalline allotropic form of silicon. It can be deposited in thin films at low temperatures onto a variety of substrates, offering some unique capabilities for a variety of electronics.-Description:...
and significantly above CdTe
Cadmium telluride
Cadmium telluride is a crystalline compound formed from cadmium and tellurium. It is used as an infrared optical window and a solar cell material. It is usually sandwiched with cadmium sulfide to form a p-n junction photovoltaic solar cell...
. Ascent is focusing primarily on space, near-space and terrestrial applications for their solar products.
Ascent Solar was founded in 2005 by ITN Energy Systems, a company engaged in commercializing emerging energy technologies through spin-offs and joint ventures. During the first few years of operation, its primary focus was to research the CIGS thin-film technology as well as researching efficient methods for manufacturing. Currently, Ascent is focusing on entering its production phase with the construction of its second-generation roll-to-roll production plant which will begin manufacturing product in 2008.
On July 18, 2006, Ascent completed its IPO
Initial public offering
An initial public offering or stock market launch, is the first sale of stock by a private company to the public. It can be used by either small or large companies to raise expansion capital and become publicly traded enterprises...
, releasing 3,000,000 shares at 5.50 USD
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
per share. In June 2007, Norsk Hydro ASA
Norsk Hydro
Norsk Hydro ASA is a Norwegian aluminium and renewable energy company, headquartered in Oslo. Hydro is the fourth largest integrated aluminium company worldwide. It has operations in some 40 countries around the world and is active on all continents. The Norwegian state holds a 43.8 percent...
, a Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
based supplier of aluminum products, entered into a deal with Ascent whereby it purchased 23% of Ascent shares with the option to increase that stake to up to 35%, which it did on October 7, 2008. Ascent has also entered into research and production deals with Texsa S.A., a Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
roofing company along with other companies. Ascent has also partnered with the U.S. Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
on several different research and development contracts.
On September 22, 2008, Ascent's then CEO, Matthew Foster, stepped down from his position. His reason for doing so was cited as an agreement between him and the company as the company changed from research-driven to production-driven. He will remain with Ascent as a consultant for an additional year after his retirement date.
On March 11, 2009, Ascent Solar commenced regular production at their facility in Colorado. The company began with a one-shift production schedule and will eventually shift to a 1.5 MW capacity at three shifts per day.