Recycling solution firm Comstock Metals and module manufacturer Illuminate USA have signed a solar material recycling services agreement.
Under the agreement, Comstock Metals will provide recycling services for solar panel materials at Illuminate’s 5GW module assembly plant in Pataskala, Ohio, which began production in February 2024.
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This includes safe transportation, sorting and environmentally responsible recycling for a broad range of solar panel manufacturing byproducts.
The agreement comes weeks after the recycling solution firm unveiled plans to establish a solar panel recycling plant and logistics hub in the state of Ohio.
“Our partnership with Illuminate USA is a testament to the industry’s growing commitment to circularity and stewardship,” said Fortunato Villamagna, President of Comstock Metals.
“By providing a zero-landfill solution for solar panel manufacturing byproducts, we are helping Illuminate USA ensure that all materials are safely repurposed into new industrial goods, eliminating all downstream liability, and giving their team peace of mind knowing all materials are responsibly recycled.”
This is Illuminate USA’s third recycling agreement. Last year, it secured a five-year agreement to acquire 3GW of recycled solar glass from US panel recycling firm Solarcycle to be used at its Ohio module assembly plant.
Interest in recycling modules has been on the rise in the industry and particularly in the US, with many module manufacturers and developers signing solar panel recycling agreements and recycled solar glass supplies.
Earlier this year, PV Tech Premium spoke with Comstock about the ongoing challenges of solar PV recycling, US regulations and the role recycling plays in building supply chain resilience in the US (subscription required).
