Upon completing internal production development and testing, Ascent Solar announced that Johns Manville (JM) will begin beta testing on its CIGS laminated modules at the JM Technical Center (JMTC) in Littleton, Colorado. The IEC 61646 modules, which have been certified and are awaiting UL certification, will be compared against existing thin-film modules that are 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 research and development. “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.”
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The testing will look at Ascent’s module’s potential compared to other CIGS modules in current thin-film technology. The beta testing has modules installed and applied to the top surface of the roofing membrane with the companies’ long-term goal to incorporate the modules into roofing material as a factory-applied solution, under JM’s Power Blanket brand.
“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,” stated Rafael Gutierrez, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Ascent Solar.
In addition to its testing announcement, Ascent Solar has also secured a distribution deal with Czech-based company, Votum. The company will distribute Ascent’s CIGS modules for BIPV and BAPV installations in the Czech Republic.
Ascent Solar President and CEO Farhad Moghadam stated, “We are pleased to announce our agreement with Votum. This relationship will give us access to a rapidly growing market for BIPV and BAPV applications in the Czech Republic. We also expect that other products in our lineup of flexible, lightweight CIGS modules will be marketed through this relationship. Votum has a sound solar integration business and is an excellent partner to have for distribution of our products in the Czech Republic.”
