Ascent Solar just announced that they have achieved a new manufacturing milestone: 14% cell efficiency for the CIGS-on-plastic-substrate cells produced at Ascent’s Fab1 plant in Littleton, Colorado. The 14% efficiency was measured by NREL, and Ascent also says it has been able to achieve 11.7% efficiency in tests of its monolithically integrated CIGS modules from the same plant.

In a company press release, Dr. Farhad Mogahadam, President & CEO for Ascent Solar, commented on the achievement:

“This is a significant breakthrough in demonstrating our ability to achieve thin film CIGS
cells with 14% efficiency from regular production machines. Ascent Solar`s
ability to manufacturer monolithically integrated modules with efficiency as
high as 11.7% in regular production serves as a vital element to our low cost
per watt manufacturing goal.”