Colorado Scores Another Win: GE Will Build a Solar PV Factory Here

The good times just keep rolling into Colorado. First there was the announcement earlier this week that Arrow Technologies was moving their corporate headquarters to the Centennial State. And then it was announced that GE is bringing a $300 million thin-film solar manufacturing plant to this state. This article from the Denver Business Journal says that reasons GE chose this state were because of an "well-trained workforce with access to higher education" and the "ability to move into a 700,000 sq. ft. facility" to name a couple. This is an incredible announcement considering that Ascent Solar in Thornton, CO announced recently that they are building a thin-film solar manufacturing plant in China. It's been a great for this state and I know that the Colorado Economic Development Office is working hard to bring in even more businesses.

Abound Solar Nails DOE Loan for Thin-Film Factory

A solar company right here on the Front Range of Colorado just scored a $510 million loan to help expand its production facility in Longmont, CO. That's incredible. Abound Solar is a thin-film solar company that has been growing quickly over the last couple of years. Even though thin-film has a lower solar cell efficiency than the solar cells in rooftop PV modules, its strength is that it's light and thin and can be put everywhere (think about slapping thin-film solar strips on the southern side of a sky scraper). Congrats to Abound for raising the capital to expand and compete on a global scale!

Colorado's Ascent Solar Signs French Distribution Deal

Nice work Ascent Solar! Looks like they inked a deal to provide a French solar company with the thin-film solar panels they produce right here in Colorado. Now if we could only give Ascent Solar some more business here in the U.S.

Ascent Solar Signs $6.5M Sales Deal with FTL Solar of Texas

Kudos to Thornton-based Ascent Solar for landing a $6.5 million deal with a FTL Solar of Austin, Texas. FTL Solar will use Ascent's thin-film photovoltaics in "specialty-market products" (think tents, umbrellas, and sails). This is probably the first-step to the ubiquity of thin-film solar PV on products used outdoors. These are exciting times for thin-film solar.

Ascent Solar World HQ Grand Opening in Colorado

Ascent Solar's worldwide headquarters and manufacturing plant had their grand opening today with Governor Ritter attending. They expect to hire up to 200 people over the next year. Ascent Solar manufacturers thin-film solar technology, which has many applications (think PV on a thin and light substrate as oppossed to those large and heavy PV modules you see on roof tops). This is a good day for Colorado and another step forward into become a leader in renewable energy. Congratulations Ascent Solar!

Ascent Solar Receives Governor's Excellence in Renewable Energy Award

Congratulations Ascent Solar! They just received the Governor's Excellence in Renewable Energy award. Oh boy I would love to get my hands on some thin-film solar modules. I wonder if the thin-film has increased its energy output? The electricity it generates is no where near that of the traditional solar modules (the large clunky PV panels), but there are a lot more applications that one could do with thin-film solar. Cheers to the folks at Ascent Solar.

Thin-Film Solar Set to Take Market Share From Crystalline Solar PV

This may help provide some competition to the traditional crystalline PV panels (which may help reduce prices of the crystalline panels! See the article below for bad news on prices). Thin-film solar is lighter weight, and easier to apply to existing surfaces than traditional PV panels, which are bulky and heavy. Even though the efficiency of thin-film solar is much lower than the traditional PV panels, you are able to install the thin-film just about anywhere and in mass quantities. Check out this site for a simple description of thin-film solar.