Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. announced that Dr. Miguel Contreras has joined the Ascent Solar team effective July 10, 2017 as the Director of Process Engineering reporting directly to the Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Dr. Contreras, formerly a Senior Scientist at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), was a key member of the team that achieved the world-record conversion efficiency of 20% with CIGS solar cells.