Almaden to boost output of anti-reflective glass for solar panels

Changzhou Almaden Stock expects shipments of the anti-reflective glass it makes for solar panels to increase about 20 per cent this year as global solar installations expand.

Shipments of the glass totalled more than 28 million square metres last year, company vice-president Lin Jinhan said.

The Chinese firm had been innovating to produce "lighter and thinner" products, he said.

The forecast coincides with intensifying competition in the market for anti-reflective glass, which is driving gross margins lower. The industry in China also faces questions about quality.

Mainland regulators found defects last year in the glass coating that allows solar panels to capture more light. About 23 per cent of samples taken from dozens of Chinese companies failed to meet requirements, according to a government agency. Almaden was not among the companies on the agency's list.

The defects were a result of deteriorating production controls and limited inspection measures at some companies.