Comstock Targets 25% Utilization at Industrial-Scale Solar Recycling Plant

Comstock’s Nevada solar-recycling facility is operating continuously, with the company targeting 25% utilization in the fourth quarter.

Reaching that level would help validate the process, unit economics and cash generation from plant operations.

The company sees a growing market as more than 4 million solar panels reach end of life annually, potentially increasing five- to 10-fold over the next decade.

Comstock is prioritizing utility-scale customers and OEMs, which it says represent more than 80% of its addressable market.

Comstock is developing a pilot to recover silver from recycling tailings and evaluating additional facilities, with Ohio currently favored for a second site. It is also pursuing potential monetization of its Sierra Springs powered-land asset, with negotiations expected to continue over the next three to four months.

Comstock NYSEAMERICAN: LODE is operating its first industrial-scale solar-panel recycling facility continuously and plans to increase utilization to 25% during the fourth quarter, Chief Executive Officer Corrado De Gasperis said during a Water Tower Research conference session.

De Gasperis described renewable metals and solar recycling as the company’s flagship activity and said the Nevada facility has moved beyond the early commercialization stage.

The operation runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and its initial production line is designed to process up to 3.3 million solar panels annually, he said.

The company’s process is intended to recycle panels without generating landfill waste while producing materials including aluminum and glass for sale.

De Gasperis said the facility’s continuous operation demonstrates the system can function at an industrial scale and supports Comstock’s effort to build a broader renewable-materials supply chain.

According to De Gasperis, more than 4 million solar panels are reaching end of life annually, and that volume could increase by five to 10 times over the next five to 10 years.

He said original assumptions that panels would remain in service for 25 to 30 years have proven too optimistic, with some panels now being removed roughly a decade earlier than expected.

He said the problem has become more pressing for panel owners because damaged and retired modules may be stockpiled, improperly stored, scrapped or sent to landfills.

Delays in replacing older panels can shift the liability but do not eliminate it, he said.

Comstock is focusing on large utility-scale customers and original equipment manufacturers, with De Gasperis identifying companies such as RWE and NextEra Energy among the largest participants in the market.

He said large utility-scale customers represent more than 80% of the addressable market as characterized by the company.

De Gasperis said the key technical challenge in solar recycling is removing laminates, plastics, adhesives and other contaminants from panels while recovering materials that can be sold.

If contaminants are not removed effectively, he said, recyclers can instead generate hazardous waste.

He said Comstock’s process is designed to eliminate contaminants while producing clean materials at high speed and scale.

De Gasperis said he believes competitors are at least two to three years away from being able to deploy a comparable process, though he acknowledged that estimate could prove shorter or longer.

The company has said it is targeting 25% utilization in the coming months during the fourth quarter.

At that level, De Gasperis said the facility would demonstrate...