Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. and Johns Manville, announced thin-film copper indium gallium (di)selenide (CIGS) laminated modules from Ascent Solar are ready for beta test deployment at the JM Technical Center (JMTC) in Littleton, Colo.

The Ascent Solar IEC 61646 (20 year life expectancy) certified and UL certification (safety test) pending modules will be compared side-by-side against existing thin-film modules currently installed at JMTC.

The test installation is done to collect performance data, evaluate architecture aesthetics and showcase the potential of Ascent Solar's CIGS high-power modules against the current thin-film technology. For the pilot, installation modules have been applied to the top surface of the roofing membrane. The long-term objective is to integrate the modules into the roofing material itself as a factory-applied solution that JM markets under the Power Blanket brand. This external deployment will help set a standard for the integration and installation of lightweight flexible CIGS modules going forward as this will be the first time a CIGS monolithically integrated module manufactured using a plastic substrate has been integrated onto an existing commercial roofing installation for competitive commercial evaluation.