Ascent to develop 20% efficiency thin film cells

Ascent Solar (NASDAQ: ASTI) today announced it has been selected by the U.S. Air Force to develop a flexible thin film tandem solar cell to demonstrate thin film photovoltaic efficiencies of 20%.

Tandem solar cells are a combination of two cells stacked atop one another, with the top and bottom cells gathering energy from separate parts of the solar spectrum.

Tandem cells require two solar cells that not only have the desired electrical and optical properties, but must also share compatible manufacturing processes.

"This important Air Force program builds upon significant work already performed by Ascent Solar personnel in the area of wide bandgap thin-film photovoltaic technology," said Ascent Solar vice president and CTO Joseph Armstrong.

The program is to demonstrate the ability to make solar cells using a new material system that has the potential to serve as the top cell of a new and innovative tandem solar cell configuration on which Ascent Solar has been working.

"It’s like putting two efficient technologies in a hybrid car, each with its own strengths, but performing better together than either one individually," said Armstrong.

Ascent Solar is a developer of thin-film photovoltaic modules based in Littleton, Colorado.

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