Ascent Solar Technologies Expands EnerPlex Distribution into United Kingdom & Ireland with West Coast Limited

Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTI), a manufacturer of consumer and off-grid products integrated with flexible thin-film photovoltaic modules (CIGS), announced today the company’s new distribution partnership with West Coast Limited, one of the leading electronics distributors in the United Kingdom and Ireland represented by PowerIT-2-Channel Ltd.

Founded in 1984 West Coast has become one of the leading distributors recently eclipsing €1 billion in annual revenue. Over the past decade West Coast has come to be the largest UK distributor for companies such as Hewlett Packard, Samsung and Toshiba; further cementing its position as a premier electronics distributor. Ascent’s relationship with West Coast will allow EnerPlex products to quickly reach every corner of the United Kingdom and Ireland and every consumer therein, utilizing West Coast’s robust and mature distribution channels, establishing Ascent’s EnerPlex brand throughout.

Nick Amer, Business Development Director at West Coast, announced, “Alternative power has become ever more popular, especially with the huge growth in portable devices like smartphones & tablets, but in the past many solutions have been very bulky and ineffective. Therefore we are very excited to be partnering with Ascent Solar to bring their superb products to the UK market, and helping to make depleted batteries a thing of the past.”

John Maslanik, Ascent’s Manager of Business Development, said, “This agreement enables Ascent to leverage West Coast's considerable distribution capabilities to reach nearly every consumer in the United Kingdom and Ireland via both e-commerce, retail and direct channels, bringing Ascent's EnerPlex products to market in force in an incredibly short period of time. Consumers in the UK and Ireland have shown great interest in renewable energy products, a trend which the EnerPlex series of products is perfectly situated to immediately benefit from. Furthermore, this agreement represents a blueprint for Ascent's expansion into new international markets, taking advantage of entrenched distribution channels and relationships which enable rapid deployment of EnerPlex products to an attractive target market.”

The EnerPlex Product line has quickly changed the paradigm of solar-integrated consumer electronics, providing consumers with lightweight, powerful and extremely durable charging solutions for all their portable electronics. Surfr^TM, a line of solar and battery integrated phone cases, allows users to charge their phone anywhere and in cases of emergency. Kickr^TM, a line of portable solar chargers, provides a charging solution for most USB enabled devices enabling power to be generated almost anywhere and in nearly every situation, perfect for emergency preparedness. With the addition of the Jumpr^TM line of portable batteries, consumers now have a complete, integrated, solar charging and storage solution for life on the go.

About Ascent Solar Technologies:

Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. is a developer of thin-film photovoltaic modules with substrate materials that are more flexible, versatile and rugged than traditional solar panels. Ascent Solar modules can be directly integrated into consumer products and off-grid applications, as well as aerospace and building integrated applications. Ascent Solar is headquartered in Thornton, Colorado. For more information, go to www.ascentsolar.com.

About West Coast:

West Coast Ltd distributes leading IT brands to a broad range of Resellers, Retailers and Office Product Dealers in the United Kingdom and Ireland. With over 25 years of experience in the market, and revenue in excess of £1bn, West Coast has a proven record of bringing new and innovative products to market.

Forward-Looking Statements:

Statements in this press release that are not statements of historical or current fact constitute "forward-looking statements." Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other unknown factors that could cause the Company's actual operating results to be materially different from any historical results or from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In addition to statements that explicitly describe these risks and uncertainties, readers are urged to consider statements that contain terms such as "believes," "belief," "expects," "expect," "intends," "intend," "anticipate," "anticipates," "plans," "plan," to be uncertain and forward-looking. The forward-looking statements contained herein are also subject generally to other risks and uncertainties that are described from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.