Comstock Metals launches end-of-life solar facility

Comstock Inc. has announced that its Virginia City, Nevada-based subsidiary, Comstock Metals LLC, an end-of-life solar panel recycler, has secured a satellite storage and prepping facility in California.  

Located in Central Valley, California, Comstock Metals says the facility represents a hub for the responsible collection, preparation and aggregation of decommissioned photovoltaic (PV) panels for closed-loop recycling in its fully permitted recycling facility in Nevada. 

As solar energy adoption continues to grow across the western U.S., the company says the need for compliant and environmentally responsible end-of-life solutions is critical. Comstock Metals’ California facility is designed to directly support solar developers, utilities, installers and asset owners by providing a centralized location for the safe handling, consolidation and logistics coordination of retired solar panels. 

This facility can optimize network logistics and costs for the western U.S. and enable direct support for solar asset owners, developers, EPCs and installers, according to the company. 

RELATED: Comstock Metals shares solar recycling plans 

Comstock Metals says the facility also enhances its ability to respond to customer needs, facilitate decommissioning efforts, centralize collection points for end-of-life solar panels in California and coordinate handling, storage and logistics compliantly. 

By enabling reliable, efficient and compliant interstate transport and recycling, Comstock Metals says it helps reduce landfill disposal, conserve natural resources and support long-term sustainability of the solar industry. 

“Our goal is to help close the loop on solar energy by ensuring that panels at the end of their useful life are managed responsibly and the critical minerals and materials are repurposed for productive use,” Comstock Metals President Fortunato Villamagna says. “This facility allows us to directly support California’s clean energy leadership while ensuring materials are transported efficiently to our specialized recycling operations in Nevada.” 

The new facility accepts end-of-life and decommissioned solar panels from commercial, utility-scale and other approved sources. The company says panels received at the site are prepared and optimized for transportation, then shipped to Comstock Metals’ recycling facilities in Nevada, where critical materials such as aluminum, silver, copper, gallium and other metals can be repurposed. 

“Comstock Metals is setting the global standard in solar panel recycling by creating a scalable, reliable, efficient and optimized network of decommissioning, collecting, aggregating, storing and full-recovery processing (and ultimately refining) nodes designed and built for speed and scale,” says Corrado De Gasperis, Comstock executive chairman and CEO.

“Most of the industry is still getting their heads around the magnitude of inevitable end-of-life panels, measured in the tens of millions and then hundreds of millions and growing, and our demonstrated ability to scale and meet those volumes delivers true sustainability and peace of mind to our customers.”