THORNTON, Colo. -- A Littleton solar company is expanding to a new 145,000 square foot facility in Thornton.

Ascent Solar will hire about 200 people over the next two years at their new headquarters, located in the Washington Square Business Park in Thornton.

The company designs a thin, lightweight solar film that collects sunlight and converts it to electricity. The relatively new green technology, which is more flexible and less expensive than traditional solar panels, is consistently finding new applications, Ascent Solar officials said.

"Take this product and wrap with any building structure, your roofing membranes, your facade sidings, solar curtains, awnings -- you just think about it the application and it basically just keeps popping up," said Ashutosh Misra, senior vice president of Ascent Solar.

Ascent Solar's new location near Interstate 25 and 120th Avenue will be its corporate headquarters and house a large-scale manufacturing facility. The Thornton site is in addition to Ascent's existing facility in Littleton, which has 60 employees.

In January, Ascent Solar received the 2008 Colorado Governor’s Excellence in Renewable Energy Award for the large business category.

"Thanks to companies such as Ascent Solar, we’re creating a sustainable energy future, sustainable opportunities for new businesses and sustainable jobs for citizens all across Colorado," Gov. Bill Ritter said at Tuesday's ribbon-cutting ceremony.

This is the second consecutive day where Ritter announced the creation of new green jobs.

On Monday, Ritter was in Pueblo to announce 100 new jobs and an expansion by The Water Company, a high-tech water-purification firm.

On Wednesday, Gov. Ritter will participate in the ground-breaking ceremony for two new Vestas manufacturing plants in Brighton, which will result in 1,350 new jobs over the next year.