Ascent CIGS technology selected for more space tests
German Aerospace Centre's GOSOLAR project to carry out further tests for solar sail-based power generation
Ascent Solar Technologies, a developer of flexible thin-film CIGS photovoltaic (PV) technology, has been selected by the German Aerospace Centre (Deutsches Zentrum fuer Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) for further testing to develop custom PV products designed for DLR's upcoming solar array deployment system.
DLR's new GOSOLAR project is testing the technology needed for a large-scale solar power generation system that will use a flexible photovoltaic membrane.
Ascent's technology will allow DLR to address the requirements that come with this approach to solar-sail deployment in a gossamer formation.
"We are pleased that DLR has selected our material for testing of their applicability to large solar array deployment," stated Joseph Armstrong, CTO and founding member of Ascent Solar Technologies.
"We have been gaining traction in the deep space community, in part because we have a unique, lightweight and flexible product, but also because our monolithic integration offers greater design latitude that traditional crystalline products do not.
"We have demonstrated the ability to adjust the physical dimensions of our modules to meet the need of customers, and with unique deployment schemes employed by DLR, correctly sizing our solution to accommodate proper stowage and deployment is critical."
"We are honoured to be selected by DLR for deployment of their solar sails in a gossamer formation meant for the extremely punishing space environment," said Victor Lee, president and CEO of Ascent Solar. "Our design allows us to maximise the surface area of our award-winning solar technology while keeping the thin and lightweight profile of the deployed solar sails. We look forward to further development and testing with DLR in the coming years."
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