Solar Power World is proud to present the second-annual SPW Rising Stars. These solar industry workers are improving the industry and inspiring others to join the clean energy workforce. Read all of our Rising Star profiles here.
End-of-life planning for solar projects is an increasingly important topic to the industry, with early projects aging and many new gigawatts going into the ground each year. One solar recycling pioneer, Connor Hogan, is dedicated to using recycled modules to position the solar industry as a key provider of critical metals and materials. Hogan founded OnePlanet Recycling in Jacksonville, Florida, just months after his 28th birthday. OnePlanet’s technology can extract 99% of embedded materials in panels, from copper and aluminum to polysilicon. The OnePlanet factory is expected to have the capacity to process over 2 million modules annually upon commissioning in 2027, with planned expansions for additional phases totaling 6 million modules by 2030. Below is a Q&A with Hogan.
SPW: What are the most challenging and, alternatively, most rewarding parts of working in the solar and storage industry right now?
Hogan: Most challenging: Navigating the industry during a period of both policy uncertainty and technological/operational maturation — the past year has been challenging for many in the space with the whiplash effect of the introduction of the OBBBA on the heels of IRA.
Most rewarding: Knowing that through challenges and adversity comes durability and tenacity. The solar/storage industry has demonstrated an uncanny ability to continue to defy growth models despite headwinds. Overall, it’s a highly resilient sector that I’m proud to be a part of.
What advice would you give someone just starting their career in solar?
Identify what your interests are early and find the mentors who can really help you launch yourself into that discipline; you would be amazed at the diversity of backgrounds in solar and storage. Mentors want to see you succeed, although sometimes the best advice might not be what you want to hear.
What accomplishments are you most proud of so far in your solar career?Â
I’m extremely proud to have been an early member of several startups (or funds) that have gone on to install, own and finance gigawatts of projects; I was one of the first employees at Pine Gate, GSRP (MN8 Energy) and Euclid Power. Between the three experiences, I’ve in some way, shape or form touched ~3% of the total U.S. renewables fleet. Separately, having co-founded OnePlanet, I’m incredibly proud of the momentum we’ve built around circularity in solar. It’s been rewarding to not only have installed gigawatts, but also lay the foundation for recycling gigawatts.
What’s a Big Idea you have about the renewable energy transition?
The transition replaces fuel-based generation with mineral/material-based resources (Li, Si, Cu, Ag, etc.); that’s unique in that minerals can be recycled in ways that fuels can’t. Electrification and the digital era (especially with advent of AI) will place additional stress on the upstream extraction and recycling of critical minerals and metals. Separately, I’m a huge believer in dual-use applications for PV/BESS, whether that’s agrivoltaics, apiaries, native ground-cover and/or grazing.
Who or what has had a major influence on your work in renewable energy?
All of my former colleagues at Pine Gate, MN8 and Euclid — also the folks I’ve had the pleasure of interacting or working with at GSAM, Deloitte, KPMG, AECOM, CohnReznick, CEA, Alliant and all of the other advisors, clients, transaction counterparts and third-parties over the years. Lastly, the entire industry owes the folks at NREL, LBNL, the DOE and the entire national laboratory network a huge debt of gratitude for the astonishing amount of research that has been compiled over the past several decades on solar and storage.
