Accelerates the Development of the first Industry-Scale Solar Panel Recycling Facility
Comstock Inc. announced today that its subsidiary, Comstock Metals, received unanimous approval for a conditional use permit (“CUP”) from the Lyon County, Nevada, Board of County Commissioners, for expanded material storage of solar panels on leased property in the immediate vicinity of the company’s first planned industrial-scale facility in Silver Springs, Nevada. This permit enables expanded storage for major utility and solar industry customers struggling with end-of-life solutions and provides sufficient buffer for the logistics associated with the first industry-scale solar panel recycling facility in the region.
Comstock Metals is dedicated to advancing leading technologies and sustainable practices in the solar recycling industry. The new storage capacity enables the company to efficiently manage and process large quantities of end-of-life solar panels and delivers a 100% closed-loop, zero-landfill solution that sets a new standard for solar panel recycling.
Corrado De Gasperis, Executive Chairman and CEO of Comstock Inc., stated, “Once we demonstrated our ability to recycle and reuse 100% of the recycled materials, and received accredited third-party auditor certification of this unique capability, major utilities began signing master service agreements for our services. The market demand has been robust, and we needed to rapidly expand storage to accommodate our customers and our commitment to keeping these materials out of landfills. We are thankful to Lyon County’s expedience in enabling this local and regional Nevada-based solution.”
The Silver Springs facility is strategically located to serve the rapidly expanding solar industry in the western United States. With the capacity to store and process large volumes of solar panels, Comstock Metals is poised to lead the solar panel recycling sector, contributing to the reduction of landfilled electronic waste and recovery of valuable materials.
Dr. Fortunato Villamagna, President of Comstock Metals added, “Our first industry scale facility, targeting 100,000 tons per year of waste solar panel processing capacity is in the latter stages of permitting and still expected during the fourth quarter of this year, so we can commence commissioning in the first quarter of 2026. We will begin ordering equipment this summer. With the acceleration of large-scale customers’ acquisitions for high-volume, longer-term commitments, we needed expanded storage capability for our first planned industry-scale site. This permit strongly achieves that objective.”
Comstock Metals is also the first solar panel recycling company in North America to be certified by SERI to the R2v3/RIOS Responsible Recycling Standard, and specifically to Appendix G that authenticates a zero-waste recycling process that safely repurposes each recycled material into new commercial applications. Comstock Metals has demonstrated panel processing with proprietary thermal methods, producing 100% commodity-ready products. All parts of the panel, including glass, aluminum, and fines, are fully recycled. Comstock’s facility has now operated for well over one year.
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