Comstock Metals has opened a new California facility to help streamline the collection and shipment of retired solar panels to its recycling operations in Nevada, as solar equipment installed across the West begins to reach the end of its usable life.
Comstock Inc., the parent company of Comstock Metals, said Monday that the California site is intended to serve the company’s customer base in what it described as the largest single US solar market. The company described the new location as a satellite storage and preparation facility that will function as a regional hub for handling decommissioned photovoltaic panels before they are transported for recycling.
The company did not specify a city in its announcement, describing the facility as being located in the heart of California’s Central Valley. However, PV Magazine reported that the site is located in Silver Lakes, San Bernardino County. Comstock said the hub is designed to support solar developers, utilities, installers and asset owners by providing a centralized point for safe handling, consolidation and logistics coordination for panels that are being removed from service.
Comstock said the California hub will accept end-of-life and decommissioned panels from commercial projects, utility-scale projects and other approved sources, with material prepared and optimized for transport before being shipped in compliance with state and federal requirements. The panels are intended for closed loop recycling at Comstock’s Nevada operations, which the company describes as certified and designed to divert material from landfills.
“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,” said Fortunato Villamagna, president of Comstock Metals.
Comstock has said its Nevada recycling facility is fully permitted and the company has described a set of regulatory approvals that include an air quality permit and a written determination for solar panel processing at industrial scale. The Nevada facility is designed to process more than 3 million solar panels annually, equivalent to about 100,000 tons of material per year, using a single continuous production line. The company has said the industrial scale facility is expected to reach full commissioning during the first quarter of 2026.
In the announcement, Comstock listed aluminum, silver, copper and gallium among the materials that can be repurposed at its Nevada recycling facilities along with glass. The company framed the new California hub as a way to consolidate shipments and reduce logistical friction for customers across the West, while improving response times for decommissioning projects.
Executive Chairman and CEO Corrado De Gasperis said the company is positioning its network to handle a wave of end-of-life solar equipment as existing installations age.
“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,” De Gasperis said.
In its Q3 2025 earnings updates, Comstock reported that it had committed to capital expenditures of about $12.5 million and said full commissioning of its industry scale Nevada facility remained on schedule for the first quarter of 2026. The company has also described a phased growth plan that targets 300,000 tons per year of national recycling capacity across three facilities by 2028, with an estimated $12 million to $15 million in capital investment for each new facility.
