Comstock Metals has been approved for a conditional use permit from the Lyon County Board of Commissioners for the operations and material storage of solar panels at the company’s first planned industrial-scale facility in Silver Springs, Nev.
The additional storage capacity enables the company to process larger quantities of end-of-life solar panels through a closed-loop solution, says Comstock.
“Once we demonstrated our ability to recycle and reuse 100% of the recycled materials, we accelerated the permitting for the expansion, both for storage and industry-scale operations,” adds Corrado De Gasperis, Comstock’s executive chairman and CEO.
“Frankly, 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 very thankful to Lyon County’s diligence and expedience in enabling this local and regional Nevada-based economic development.”
We need to see more competition in the recycling field. I think it’s important to address the high costs associated with recycling solar panels currently. Here in Virginia, it costs around $25-35 to recycle a single panel, which is quite expensive compared to the roughly $1 per panel it costs to send them to a landfill. Most solar panels aren’t made with heavy metals, so the incentive to recycle them isn’t there for most companies. Reducing recycling costs is crucial to ensuring more panels are properly recycled and kept out of landfills. Hopefully, with advancements in technology and increased support… Read more »