Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc., a developer and manufacturer of state-of-the-art, lightweight and flexible thin-film photovoltaic (PV) solutions (“Ascent” or the “Company”) announces that the Company had participated in the “By Invitation Only” US Special Operations Command’s (SOCOM) Technical Experimentation, held on July 27-29, 2021, at the Muscatatuck Urban Training Center in North Jordan, IN (TE 21-3).
SOCOM customarily conducts TE’s annually to provide a platform for the SOCOM personnel to interact with the private sector’s advanced technology developers to understand how the Special Operations Forces (SOF) can be better supported. The focus of TE 21-3 was to highlight See-Through-The-Wall (STTW) technologies, intended to determine whether a structure is occupied and to enable “situational awareness” of friendly and adversary personnel, a critical asset on the battlefield to help keep our warfighters well prepared.
Ascent’s lightweight, rugged and portable CIGS PV system, designed to reduce the reliance of heavy and bulky batteries, was able to demonstrate its high suitability-for-purpose in providing expeditionary/mobile power solution for these STTW systems — which can be vehicle-mounted, Unmanned Ground Vehicle-mounted, Small Unmanned Aerial System (SUAS)-mounted, tripod-mounted, or handheld – which will provide our warfighters with a critical advantage on the battlefield.
Of the 30+ technology vendors selected for participation in TE 21-3, Ascent was the only one not specifically demonstrating STTW technology, a reflection on the importance of expeditionary and austere power in the DoD’s next-generation strategies. Getting selected for TE 21-3 marks the 4th consecutive year – no event held in 2020 due to COVID — that Ascent has been chosen to support SOCOM TE’s, continued acknowledgment that Ascent’s CIGS PV provides the DoD with an unparalleled breadth of capability.
“We are honored to be invited as part of SOCOM’s continued effort to assess technologies that will provide the Special Operations Forces (SOF) operator with the most operationally efficient and resilient tools to ensure success when engaged with adversaries,” stated Joe Kigin, CRO / SVP of Government Relations for Ascent. “In a time when the primary method of engagement is increasingly asymmetric and unconventional, we believe that our XD-12 and XD-48, and eventually our FeatherLight (FL16) and MilPak 60E will help provide our SOF operators with a critical advantage when leveraging STTW technologies to maintain, and again, a sustainable competitive advantage on the battlefield.”
“We look forward to assisting SOCOM as they seek to utilize critical technologies such as See-Through-the-Wall to help keep our warfighters safe and operating in optimum efficiency,” said Victor Lee, President and CEO of Ascent Solar. “Developing state-of-the-art and potentially disruptive PV technology capable of integrating seamlessly into handheld, vehicle-mounted, and even on SUAS, separates Ascent from the competition and puts us in a very unique position to be a key partner to SOCOM and the primary Branches of the DoD.”
ABOUT ASCENT SOLAR TECHNOLOGIES, INC.:
Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. is a developer of thin-film photovoltaic modules using flexible substrate materials that are more versatile and rugged than traditional solar panels. Ascent Solar modules were named one of the top 100 technologies in both 2010 and 2015 by R&D Magazine, and one of TIME Magazine’s 50 best inventions for 2011. The technology described above represents the cutting edge of flexible power and can be directly integrated into consumer products and off-grid applications, as well as other aerospace applications. Ascent Solar is headquartered in Thornton, Colorado
