# The Space Show Presents Paul Wardley on special thin film solar for space and more, Friday, 4-17-26

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-space-show-by-dr-david-livingston-1065418/the-space-show-presents-paul-wardley-on-special-thin-film-solar-for-space-and-more-friday-4-17-26
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-space-show-by-dr-david-livingston-1065418/the-space-show-presents-paul-wardley-on-special-thin-film-solar-for-space-and-more-friday-4-17-26.md
Podcast: [The Space Show by Dr. David Livingston](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-space-show-by-dr-david-livingston-1065418)
Published: 2026-05-25T21:41:05+00:00
Episode link: https://doctorspace.substack.com/p/the-space-show-presents-paul-wardley
Audio file: https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/199244634/e2ab69192f2f2f8d7693e4400420faff.mp3
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Duration seconds: 4456

## Resource

The Space Show Presents Paul Warley, CEO of Ascent Solar, Friday, 4-17-26 Quick Summary: The Space Show featured Paul Worley, CEO of Ascent Solar, discussing their flexible thin-film solar technology. Paul explained that their CIGS (Copper Indium Gallium Sulfide) panels are lightweight, rollable, and designed to fit specific areas, offering 12.5-14% efficiency and costing $35-70 per watt compared to silicon’s $3-10 per watt. The panels have been tested in space and can withstand radiation better than silicon, with applications including satellites, drones, high-altitude platforms, and underwater systems. Paul noted their panels can be deployed and rolled up multiple times, with TRL9 certification from a previous space mission. The company is publicly traded on NASDAQ as ASTI and focuses primarily on DoD and commercial space markets, with plans to expand in MEO, GEO, and lunar applications in the coming years. Detailed Summary: Our program focused on technical discussions about space missions and power requirements. Paul explained different power levels for various orbital ranges, noting 450-600 watts per kilogram for MEO and GEO missions, and 150-250 watts per kilogram for lower orbits. The group discussed the format of an upcoming 60-minute space show, with participants introducing themselves and their backgrounds. Technical issues with audio echo were identified but not fully resolved before the end of the meeting. Paul explained the cost and efficiency differences between various solar panel technologies for space applications. He clarified that gallium arsenide panels cost $250-350 per watt, silicon panels cost $3-10 per watt, and their SIGS (Copper indium gallium sulfide) technology costs $35-70 per watt. Paul also described how their technology uses a different c…

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