China has made its impact in the solar industry by manufacturing cheap silicon-based photovoltaics, largely for export around the world, populating rooftops and ground-mounted installations. But with prices for such products at all-time lows, the country may increasingly look to new photovoltaic technologies like thin-film PV to use natively.

Case in point, China-based TFG Radiant just upped its investment in Ascent Solar to a 41 percent ownership stake in the Colorado-based company.

TFG on Jan. 4, 2012, agreed to purchase roughly 20 percent of Ascent’s shares from Norsk Hydro Produksjon AS for $4 million, or approximately $0.50 per share. That’s all of Norsk’s investment in the country, said Ascent CEO Ron Eller. The transaction is expected to close in the next 60 days.

The investment doesn’t change TFG’s relationship with Ascent (no one has a majority share in the company, according to Eller). But it shows that China is starting to look beyond silicon PV.

“I do think there are more Chinese companies interested in thin-films,” he said.

TFG’s background as a commercial roofing company is especially interested in thin-film PV because they can see installing it on Chinese roofs where other forms of solar like heavier glass-framed PV arrays are too heavy for roofs.

“They see a huge market in China because of weight limitations or architectural limitations on buildings,” Eller said.

Last August, TFG bought its first, 20 percent stake in Ascent Solar. As part of that deal Ascent licensed its technology to TFG.

Under that agreement TFG is developing a 100-megawatt annual production capacity plant. While TFG is likely to focus on larger modules, the licensing arrangement also would allow it to manufacture smaller modules like backpack chargers and more.

Their initial fabrication plant will be three times more than Ascent’s current production.

“It’s fairly unique to license the technology versus rolling everything out themselves. It does start to introduce a leading future technology into the East Asian market,” he said.

However, TFG can only market the resulting products in the East Asia market, according to Eller.