Internship Spotlight: Paul Rogowski ’26, Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure
Silver Scholar Paul Rogowski used skills developed at SOM and Yale College to explore opportunities to invest in novel decarbonization approaches in the construction industry.
Internship: Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure (HASI), Annapolis, Maryland
Hometown: Heidelberg, Germany
Pronouns: he/him/his
The SOM class you’re using on the job: Financing Green Technologies
Go-to work lunch: Carpaccio’s
After-work routine: Strolling back home through the harbor area
Favorite thing about internship city: The harbor, the seafood, and the relaxed people
I spent 11 weeks this summer interning at Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure (HASI) in Annapolis, Maryland. As its name suggests, the firm invests in renewable infrastructure, with a particular focus on clean energy solutions. HASI follows a straightforward investment philosophy: every investment must positively impact our climate future while providing attractive, risk-adjusted returns for investors. The firm’s investments fall into three categories: energy assets directly connected to the consumer (behind-the-meter, or BTM); energy assets connected to the grid (grid-connected, or GC); and broader opportunities aligned with HASI’s mission (fuel, transport, and nature, or FTN). I interned on the FTN vertical and could not have had a better experience.
The work I did was extremely exciting and boiled down to two categories. I supported the investment team through analysis and research and drafted an investment thesis on a market with tremendous decarbonization potential: the cement industry. Both tasks required me to think critically about relationships that were completely new to me, and I learned and grew a great deal through the process.
While being challenged is certainly important for learning and growth, the environment in which those challenges occur may be just as important. HASI created the best imaginable setting. The team operates on the assumption that every member is capable of independently excelling at their work, which translates into remarkable autonomy—even for me, the intern. Still, no one was ever left to their own devices. Throughout the workday, my team constantly collaborated and consulted one another about different problems; I learned so much by just being able to quickly tap a coworker’s shoulder and ask for advice. The atmosphere was always very positive, and I genuinely enjoyed working with my team.
Yale SOM prepared me well for this summer by allowing me to tailor my academic path directly to my professional aspirations. Wanting to work at the intersection of finance and energy, I was looking for opportunities to understand the energy industry better and gain a foundational understanding of the assets it comprises. A chemistry class with Professor Bartholomew, who was incredibly supportive, proved invaluable when I later researched cement markets and decarbonization approaches. Financing Green Technologies, taught by Richard Kauffman ’83, added a financial perspective on energy markets and their challenges. Together, these classes left me thoroughly prepared for the summer. The cherry on top was Grace and Dylan, two SOM alums working on the BTM investments team at HASI, to whom I could always turn throughout my internship.
I am very grateful to the many people at HASI—who have made this summer really exciting, educational, and memorable—as well as to the Yale community. Getting the chance to do meaningful work around the decarbonization of our society so early on was exactly why I chose Yale’s unique Silver Scholar program, and I could not have been happier with my choice!
