About Us
We began as “Monarch Infrastructure” with a mission to continue the incredible momentum of the renewable energy sector during a time of challenging headwinds. Inspired by the dynamic lifecycle of the Monarch butterfly, we’ve changed our name to Instar Infrastrcuture to reflect our new focus on early-stage greenfield development.
Before projects can become a reality they need to progress through critical early stages of developmement. That’s what Instar does. Leaning on decades of experience, we identify sites, partner with landowners and begin putting the crutial pieces together.
We also assist other developers to advance their projects through strategic partnerships.
Mark Lawlor
CEO
Mark has 20 years of experience developing renewables and transmission infrastructure. He was a founding member of ConnectGen overseeing the greenfield development of 10GW of wind, solar and storage assets ultimately leading to a platform sale to Repsol in 2023 valued at $768M.
He has a deep understanding of U.S. markets, transmission, regulatory, legal, permitting and commercial offtake. He has led multiple teams in development of major infrastructure projects. He led the development of the Grain Belt Express HVDC an $11B transmission line across four states before Clean Line sold the asset to Invenergy.
He also worked for Horizon Wind Energy and EDPR leading a development team in successfully commercializing multiple wind projects in the Midwest.
He has served on the boards of Interwest Energy Alliance, Wind Coalition, CalWEA and The Energy & Climate Project.
Zach Hughes
VP Development & Land
Before joining Instar, Zach managed renewable energy development projects for Repsol Renewables North America and ConnectGen. Most recently, he led the development of the 199 MW Ritter Station Solar project in Ohio, where his responsibilities included landowner engagement, transmission-right negotiations, interconnection, local tax agreements, and state permitting. His work helped secure a critical 2.2-mile generation-tie route and contributed to the project receiving state approval in November 2025.
Zach has extensive experience in land acquisition, leasing, title research, rights-of-way, and due diligence. Through his family’s land-services business, he has managed teams of up to 120 land professionals and has helped assemble over 100,000 acres for energy development across the eastern United States. He has also owned and managed oil and gas operations, advised clients on energy transactions and asset valuation, and served on the board of the Kentucky Oil and Gas Association.
Having worked as a land professional, project developer, business owner, and landowner representative, Zach understands that successful projects begin with trust, clear communication, and commitments that can be honored. At Instar, he works directly with landowners and communities to identify opportunities that create long-term value for property owners while supporting reliable and responsible energy development.
Zach earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Western Kentucky University.
Michael Moritz
COO
Michael has six years of experience developing and engineering renewable energy projects in the United States. For the last year, Michael has pursued surplus interconnection strategies with gas peakers owned by municipal electric companies and electric co-ops.
Michael led the engineering for a 6GW solar and storage pipeline for ConnectGen, including the construction of 300MW of solar, the permitting of over 1GW of solar in New York, Texas, Illinois, and Ohio, and the permitting of a 20MW/80MWh storage facility in NY. Michael created ConnectGen’s solar analytics program; developing models that determine DC:AC overbuild and row spacing based on grid conditions and solar resource, establishing a capex estimating tool based on a database of project data, and developing a value engineering culture that reduced project capex across several projects.