Comstock Launches 24/7 Solar Panel Recycling at Nevada Facility

Key Points

• Comstock has launched continuous 24/7 operations at its Nevada solar-panel recycling facility, which the CEO says has reached industrial-scale technology readiness. The plant can process up to 3.3 million panels annually using four ovens and automated robotic feeding.
• The facility is designed to recover clean aluminum, glass and mineral-rich tailings while avoiding hazardous waste. Comstock is also developing methods to extract higher-value materials, including silver, copper, silicon and silica.
• Comstock plans to operate the Nevada plant at roughly 25% capacity for several months to validate stability and economics before expanding through 2027–2028. A second facility for Midwestern and Mid-Atlantic markets has been designed but has not yet received a capital commitment.

Comstock NYSEAMERICAN: LODE has begun continuous operations at its industrial-scale solar-panel recycling facility in Nevada, marking what Chief Executive Officer Corrado De Gasperis described as a significant step in the company’s shift toward renewable metals and commercialization of its technologies.

Speaking at the Lytham Partners Fall 2026 Investor Conference, De Gasperis said the facility is operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week. He characterized the operation as reaching technology readiness level 8, a stage generally associated with systems demonstrated at industrial scale.

“We’re up and running. We’re running 24/7. We’re running at scale,” De Gasperis said, adding that the company does not see other companies currently operating a comparable process.

Solar recycling capacity and process

The Nevada facility has annual capacity to process 3.3 million solar panels, according to De Gasperis. Its processing system includes four ovens, with each oven representing roughly 25% of total facility capacity. The company has also completed an adjacent storage facility for panels awaiting processing.

De Gasperis said the recycling process is designed to separate contaminants and produce clean aluminum, glass and mineral-rich tailings. The company has further worked to separate residual metals from recovered glass in an effort to meet specifications sought by glass-reprocessing customers.

According to De Gasperis, the process is intended to avoid generating hazardous waste while reducing liability for customers disposing of end-of-life solar panels. The facility includes environmental-control equipment, including a scrubber for potential particulates or opacity, he said.

The plant also uses two robotic arms to feed panels into the system. De Gasperis said the automation supports a targeted processing pace of one panel every seven seconds or less.

• Annual capacity: 3.3 million solar panels
• Processing configuration: Four ovens at the Nevada facility
• Operations: Continuous, 24-hour and seven-day-per-week production
• Output materials: Clean aluminum, clean glass and mineral- or silver-rich tailings

Comstock is also developing methods to extract higher-value materials from the tailings, including silver, copper, silicon metals and silica, De Gasperis said. In some cases, the tailings may contain rarer materials as well.

Expansion planning and market development

De Gasperis said Comstock has designed a second recycling facility intended for the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest markets, including Ohio, Pennsylvania and Indiana. The planned facility would initially use one oven but would use the same process and could eventually expand to four ovens, he said.

The company has not yet committed capital to construct the second facility. De Gasperis said the approach is intended to support “intelligent capital deployment” while allowing for faster expansion as demand develops.

Comstock selected Nevada for its first facility in part because older solar-panel installations in California, Arizona and Nevada created a substantial nearby market, De Gasperis said. He also identified Ohio, North Carolina, Florida and Texas as markets where solar panels are reaching end of life.

While panels are currently being shipped from across the country to Nevada, De Gasperis said the company views that activity as evidence of limited recycling alternatives for customers. He said Comstock is willing to absorb temporarily higher shipping costs in some circumstances to develop national accounts, secure key customers and build market share.

The company plans to operate the Nevada plant at about 25% of its capacity for several months to demonstrate its stability and unit economics before expanding market activity through 2027 and 2028, De Gasperis said. Over time, he said, Comstock’s goal would be to establish recycling facilities in multiple locations, with five facilities viewed as an ideal footprint.

Silver Springs opportunity

Beyond renewable metals, De Gasperis discussed Comstock’s interest in Sierra Springs Opportunity Fund Inc., a land platform in Silver Springs, Nevada. He said the region benefits from Nevada’s economic and tax environment, federal Opportunity Zone advantages, improved highway connectivity and interest from technology and data-center-related development.

De Gasperis cited Microsoft and Tract as companies breaking ground in the Silver Springs area, while noting that the region’s local and state governments have been supportive of development. He said Comstock also maintains investments in renewable fuels, though the company’s capital allocation and primary focus are centered on renewable metals.

About Comstock (NYSEAMERICAN:LODE)

Comstock Inc is a technology and natural resources company focused on developing solutions for the energy transition and the circular economy. The company's activities include renewable fuels, solar technology and mineral processing, with an emphasis on converting underused or waste materials into products that can support lower-carbon energy systems.

Through its Comstock Fuels business, the company is developing technologies intended to convert woody biomass and other non-food feedstocks into renewable fuels.

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