Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTI), a developer and manufacturer of state-of-the-art, flexible thin-film photovoltaic modules integrated into the company's EnerPlex™ series of consumer products, announced today that Rafael Gutierrez has been appointed as Senior Vice President & Chief Operating Officer of Ascent Solar.

Mr. Gutierrez was formerly the Senior VP of Sales and Marketing at Ascent Solar from 2009 to 2011. Prior to that, he had a proven track record of 18 years with Seagate Technologies from 1991 to 2009, where he held various executive positions including General Manager of Consumer Electronics, Executive Director of Strategic Marketing, and Director of Advanced Concepts and Product Development.

After Mr. Gutierrez left Ascent Solar in 2011, he held positions with Ampt, LLC as a Senior VP of Sales and Marketing, and subsequently with Micron Technologies as the Enterprise Business Development Lead before returning to Seagate Technologies in 2013 as the Strategic Business Development Lead for Seagate Technology SSD division.

Mr. Victor Lee, CEO of Ascent Solar, said, "We are honored to have Rafael returning to Ascent Solar. He is an industry veteran and is perfectly suited to lead the continued rapid expansion of our entire sales operation globally. He brings a wealth of large corporate C-level experience in the technology and consumer electronics sectors, and his depth of knowledge in both international and domestic sales, as well as his comprehensive understanding of the marketing and product development cycles of consumer-oriented businesses and PV applications, are invaluable assets as we continue to accelerate our growth.”

Mr. Gutierrez said, "I am very excited to return to Ascent Solar. The transformation of the Company led by the current management is impressive. The market opportunities for flexible PV power solutions in emerging markets such as Internet of Things (IoT), Consumer Wearables, and Drone applications create a unique and promising near-term opportunity for Ascent Solar and EnerPlex solutions.”

Mr. Gutierrez holds a M.S. in Operations Research and Applied Statistics from the University of Northern Colorado, and a B.A. in Mathematics from Belleview University.

About Ascent Solar Technologies and EnerPlex:

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. EnerPlex is the brand of the consumer products and is a division of Ascent Solar. Ascent Solar and EnerPlex are headquartered in Thornton, Colorado. For more information, go to www.goenerplex.com and www.ascentsolar.com.

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.