Comstock Metals has received approval from the state’s Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) to treat photovoltaic (PV) modules, following the opening of its solar panel recycling facility in Kings County, California.
The new site expands the company’s regional footprint as end-of-life solar panels continue to accumulate across Arizona, California and Nevada.
“Opening a facility in California positions us to better serve the region’s increasing demand for end-of-life solar panel disposal while delivering a streamlined, cost-effective logistics solution for our customers,” said Dr. Fortunato Villamagna, Comstock president, in a statement.
With solar installations from the past decade now approaching the end of their operational lives, demand for dedicated PV recycling infrastructure has grown across the Southwestern United States. Along with the new facility, the certification allows the company to serve a broad customer base including utilities, developers, EPCs, installers, decommissioning contractors and asset owners.
The DTSC certification enables Comstock to process PV modules through a zero-landfill pathway, recovering critical minerals including aluminum, silver, copper, gallium and other metals for return to the supply chain, creating what the company described as a circular materials loop.
“As the number of end-of-life solar panels nationwide rises into the tens and eventually hundreds of millions, our ability to scale responsibly and efficiently ensures meaningful sustainability outcomes –— and confidence with –— for our customers and partners,” said CEO Corrado De Gasperis.
The Kings County facility opening and subsequent certification is one step in a broader expansion strategy for Comstock. The company said it is nearing completion of permit applications for a second facility in Nevada and is currently in the final stages of site selection for that location.
