Evwind, Other renewables

Ascent Solar

Ascent Solar Technologies, a manufacturer of award winning flexible CIGS thin-film photovoltaic modules as well as consumer and off-grid products integrated with the flexible modules, announced the company’s proud involvement in the Volvo Pure Tension Pavilion project, where Ascent’s revolutionary, flexible and lightweight CIGS solar modules were selected for integration into the Pavilion’s tensioned mesh membrane structure.
The striking pavilion is a portable, solar-powered tensile membrane structure made for the launch of the new Volvo V60 plug-in hybrid electric car which not only charges the car but also flat-packs to fit in the trunk of the car and assembles easily in less than one hour. The project aspires to reinvent the typical pavilion through the combination of dynamic form, optical effects and flexibility. The structure of the pavilion is highlighted by its unusual form and mesh skin embedded with a total of 252 7” x 7” lightweight flexible photovoltaic panels throughout. The pavilion is now embarked on a 9 month multi-city promotional tour starting in Milan and the tour will end at The Plan Magazine’s annual Perspective event in Venice next summer.

Ascent’s solar modules are able to be uniquely integrated into the pavilion’s tensioned mesh skin due to their extremely lightweight and flexible construction, allowing them to be deployed in ways never before possible when using traditional crystalline solar, which is both rigid and heavy, or any other non-flexible thin-film solar modules.

John Maslanik, Ascent’s Manager of Business Development, said, “Ascent constantly aims to provide innovative solar integrated solutions which bring the incredible power generating capabilities of our technology closer to consumers who can use them in their everyday lives. The Volvo Pavilion project shares the goal of bringing solar into the realm of everyday use, making the project a perfect partnership.”