Ascent Solar Wins Second R&D 100 Award at the "Oscars of Innovation" for the MilPak Solar Platform

THORNTON, CO--(Marketwired - Nov 16, 2015) - Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASTI), a provider of lightweight, flexible photovoltaic (PV) solutions, announced today that they received the prestigious 2015 R&D 100 Award in the IT/Electrical category at R&D Magazine's 53rd R&D 100 Gala held November 13th in Las Vegas, Nevada. This is the second R&D 100 award for Ascent Solar, having achieved the feat in 2010 for flexible thin film monolithically integrated CIGS on polyimide, upon which the MilPak™ is based.

For 53 years, R&D 100 awards have been given by R&D Magazine to the top 100 technological achievements of the year, and is recognized as the "Oscars of Invention." Earlier award recipients have included anti-lock brakes, the fax machine, halogen lamps and liquid crystal displays. This year's IT/Electrical category finalists included IBM, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Mitsubishi Electric, NASA, Argonne National Laboratory, as well as many emerging companies.

The MilPak™ E is a fully integrated mobile power solution that includes a foldable photovoltaic blanket with an attached waterproof battery case that houses a maximum peak power tracker, 86.5 watt hour of power storage with battery management circuitry, a 55 watt 24 volt power circuit, and two high-current USB circuits. In keeping with the ruggedized requirements, all switchgear, protection circuit, and the 24V and USB connectors are all rated IP-67 or better, and the case is constructed from a military-grade plastic. Most important, the entire unit weighs less than 8.5lbs, which makes it extremely portable by military personnel or any users.

This product introduces the MilPak™ platform to the military, first responders, disaster relief workers, miners and other users who want to reduce the number of components they need to take in the field to take advantage of PV power.

"We are honored that the MilPak™ E was selected as one of the top 100 innovations of the year by R&D Magazine's panel of expert judges," stated Dr. Joseph Armstrong, Chief Technology Officer and co-inventor, who received the award on behalf of the development team. "Recently the MilPak™ has passed the criteria for MIL-STD-810G testing, and as a platform, the MilPak™ will provide the power necessary for a multitude of applications, certain ones potentially permanently integrated into the unit itself, some of which will be able to run outdoors continuously as the application requires. We are also pleased that the MilPak™ E has been selected for the Defense Energy Innovation Summit and Showcase on December 1-3, 2015 in Austin, Texas."

ABOUT ASCENT SOLAR TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. is a developer of thin-film photovoltaic modules using flexible substrate materials that can transform the way solar power generation integrates into everyday life, on this planet and others as well. Ascent Solar modules were named as 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. More information can be found at www.ascentsolar.com.

Forward Looking Statements

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