Ecolectro

A common refrain in the world of climate solutions is that there are no silver bullets, only silver buckshot. But if any climate technology comes close to a whole silver bullet, it’s the green hydrogen electrolyzer. Hydrogen is fuel that emits virtually zero greenhouse gas emissions when it is burned. To date, roughly 99% of hydrogen fuel is produced by steam reforming methane (known as ‘gray’ hydrogen), but it can also be created by transforming water into hydrogen and oxygen through a device known as an electrolyzer. The process is energy intensive, but when powered with renewables, the result is a near-zero emissions fuel that can displace methane emissions that are on the rise. Another unique advantage that distinguishes green hydrogen from other climate solutions is its versatility. Hydrogen offers a low-carbon solution for many industries, such as fertilizer production and aviation fuel. It’s also a reliable energy source to power heavy industries like glass and steel manufacturing that account for as much as 11% of the world’s carbon emissions. That was part of what drew electrolyzer startup Ecolectro’s founders Dr. Kristina Hugar and Dr. Gabriel Rodriguez-Calero to the technology when they were first thinking about how to put the engineering skills they learned at Cornell toward making a positive impact. “When we were thinking about what type of technologies will have this massive impact in the way we do things, I think very quickly hydrogen surfaced as a key pillar that touches everything from energy and fuels to things like fertilizers and energy storage,” says Dr. Rodriguez-Calero. Hugar started working on green hydrogen while pursuing her PhD at Cornell in 2010 “before it was cool” but is encouraged that green hydrogen has emerged as a favorite solution for governments and industries around the world in recent years. It is poised to play a pivotal role in the development of a low-carbon economy thanks to the latest developments in climate policy. Incentives in last year’s Inflation Reduction Act promise to make green hydrogen more economically competitive with gray hydrogen. In Europe, the H2Med pipeline project will create a green hydrogen corridor stretching from Portugal to Germany. The clean fuel is also at the core of decarbonization plans of many of the world’s largest manufacturers. Hugar says her concern for the climate started when she read an article on plastic pollution in the ocean that kept her up at night. But she quickly realized coming up with a solution would require a combination of her science skills and a sober recognition of how difficult it can be to make meaningful change. “I wanted to know if there is a way to address climate problems before they start, while not implicating industrialization as negative. Let's figure out how to adapt to a modern society in a more creative, holistic way,” Hugar says. “We need transportation, we need cars, we need planes, we need ships to transport goods, we're never going to not need that. So how do we do this in a really different way that doesn’t make people feel bad about wanting all those great things?” But as with every technology, green hydrogen has its drawbacks. Alkaline electrolyzers are currently the most commercialized models globally, but they tend to be large, unwieldy hardware setups that make them expensive and hard to deploy in remote areas that are sometimes most favorable for green hydrogen production. Those costs relative to methane-based gray hydrogen have so far made green hydrogen an uncompetitive option. The predominant PEM systems also depend on the mining of rare metals such as iridium and platinum, which has its own environmental impacts. Not to mention the reliance of these technologies on fluorinated polymers that are manufactured with and degrade into forever chemicals. That’s where Ecolectro’s new electrolyzer design comes in. Based in the leafy backdrop of Ithaca, New York, Hugar and Rodriguez-Calero’s team are building a new type of electrolyzer that uses a unique membrane technology to address several of those economic and supply chain challenges associated with green electrolysis today. “The membrane is very important because it helps solve challenges that were in that liquid alkaline system. So when you switch to a polymer-based system, you reduce the footprint of the system,” Hugar says. Ecolectro’s Solution Ecolectro has developed a system that is cheaper, smaller and more environmentally friendly than the majority of existing electrolyzers. By refining their unique membrane process, Ecolectro’s units are a more compact electrolyzer that reduces the hydrogen stack cost by 78% while depending on a more secure supply chain, cutting out the price swings that continue to plague climate solutions dependent on more exotic materials. While green hydrogen is showing promise in a number of different applications, Ecolectro’s founders say they are focused on working on use cases where they can deploy their technology the fastest to bring down emissions as quickly as possible. “The most important thing for us is to target the industries that, by switching to a hydrogen, we will see the most bang for your buck in terms of reduced emissions,” Rodriguez-Calero says. “Which of these industries can we really affect change much more quickly on greenhouse gas emissions? Because ultimately, that’s what we, and climate tech generally, are trying to solve.” Doing Work that Matters Ecolectro is currently hiring for several Scientist and Engineering roles, and they anticipate expanding their team even further over the course of the year. Hugar and Rodriguez-Calero emphasize that while skills are important for a prospective teammate, they value a diversity of backgrounds and points of view to help tackle complicated problems that are critical to providing a revolutionary climate solution. For the Ecolectro founders, a passion for addressing climate change is just as important as experience working with green hydrogen. “There's so many intangibles that every type of background brings. And it's something that we put at the bottom of all our job descriptions, even if you don't think you fit all these criteria, you should still apply,” Rodriguez-Calero says. “We have the opportunity to disrupt a massive industry. And by disrupting it, we'll do a lot of good. For anyone who this vision resonates with we'd be excited to have a conversation with them.” Hugar agrees, and says that an important attribute facet of the culture at Ecolectro is“ intention toward creating space for folks to show up authentically as themselves, and complement our team with their own unique value.” “I would encourage anyone else to just try to hold onto what makes you, you, and follow your passions and find a place that recognizes your value, because you have it. It's there. Own it.” 🌎 Climate Jobs Check out some of the latest featured jobs below. If you don't see anything that speaks to you, you can always go to Climatebase to explore thousands of other opportunities. Revalue Nature Ltd "Revalue Nature develops the highest integrity nature-based projects globally at scale. We do this because we want to see a world of functioning ecosystems. This is our mission. Our projects are beautiful. They provide natural solutions to the climate and nature crisis - sequestering carbon, allowing biodiversity to flourish, enabling communities to thrive, protecting watersheds, and ensuring our ecosystems function as nature ..." Administrative Associate (Remote, based in Indonesia) (Remote (Indonesia)) Investment Analyst (Remote (London, UK)) Legal Counsel (Remote) Rooted Farmers "At Rooted, we believe in small farms. We believe that agriculture can be both regenerative and productive. We believe in building sustainable ecosystems as well as sustainable businesses. We believe in supporting local economies and creating viable career paths for those who feed our souls. We believe that the face of the small farmer – their gender, age, and skin ..." Senior Software Engineer (Remote (New England, USA)) Noble Thermodynamic Systems Inc "Noble Thermodynamics is a cleantech R&D startup backed by the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. National Science Foundation, the California Energy Commission, and top-tier industry and academic partners. We are driven by our mission to radically and quickly reduce the world’s carbon emissions and accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels. ..." Mechatronics Engineer (Alameda, California, United States) Sr. Process Piping Engineer (Alameda, California, United States) CAMUS ENERGY "Camus Energy provides an open-source grid management platform for distribution operators enabling them to understand and manage their systems in real-time. We provide monitoring and near-term predictive state, operational control of distribution resources, and real-time pricing or price incentives for extended control of behind the meter resources. Camus Energy was founded in 2019 in the San Francisco Bay area. We have ..." Customer Success Manager II (Remote (San Francisco Bay Area, Remote)) Software Engineer (Remote (San Francisco Bay Area, CA)) Maya Climate "Maya is accelerating investments in Nature-based Solutions to unlock high integrity restoration & conservation projects for natural capital markets. Our technology platform connects project developers with investors on a single platform that digitizes project origination, risk assessment and due diligence. Maya is backed by the High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), Antler, EU Climate-KIC, Reaktor, the Berlin Angel Fund and a group of experienced tech ..." Structured Carbon Deals Lead, Nature-based Solutions (f/d/m) (London, Vereinigtes Königreich) Thermal Battery Corporation "Thermal Battery Corporation (TBC) is a MIT spinout developing a new type of grid scale rechargeable battery that is projected to become the cheapest storage technology. ..." Senior Electrical/Controls Engineer (Middleton, MA, USA) Senior Mechanical Engineer (Middleton, MA, USA) Mechanical Engineer (Middleton, MA, USA) Sesame Solar Inc "Sesame Solar is decarbonizing disaster response. We design and make Mobile Nanogrids powered by solar, green hydrogen, (optional small wind turbines) and battery storage with Essential Services Inside such as communications, clean water, refrigeration, medical assistance and more. Designed to be towed by electric trucks, Sesame Nanogrids have EV charging on board to provide a 100% fossil-fuel free Solution for extreme ..." Director of Sales Western Region (Remote) Technician (Jr. and Sr. positions available subject to skill level) (Jackson, MI, USA) Director of Technology, Manufacturing (Jackson, MI, USA) Logistics and Procurement Manager (Jackson, MI, USA) Field Service Technician (Remote (Jackson, MI, USA)) Eion "Want to play a critical role in scaling up climate solutions? We’re looking for driven and passionate folks to join our team. Read more about what we’re doing at Eion’s Theory of Change Read more about what we’re about at 2023 is the only year that counts ..." Research Associate II, Lab and Field Trials (Oakland, CA, USA) Director of Carbon Trading (Remote) Finance (Open Rank) (Remote (New York, NY, USA)) DEP "DEP’s mission is to make clean, resilient, and renewable energy systems accessible to everyone by developing intelligent software that automates the design and operation of ultra-efficient microgrids. The future of energy is decentralized and we're building the team that will make it a reality. We are small, but expert team backed by some of the industry's biggest players. We are actively ..." Software Engineer (Remote) Circular Carbon Network - an XPRIZE initiative "The Circular Carbon Network is an initiative of the Carbon XPRIZE that is focused on catalyzing more investment and commercial activity in the emerging Circular Carbon Economy to help accelerate its growth. CCN has aggregated leading market data about the growing circular carbon ecosystem into several discrete databases or Indexes. These include an Innovator Index (featuring over 700 leading solution developers), ..." Data Manager - Freelance (Remote) Data Consultant (Remote) Freelance Research Assistant (Remote) Bridger Photonics, Inc. "Bridger Photonics, Inc. (Bridger) creates and deploys innovative LiDAR sensors for the Oil & Gas and Industrial Metrology industries. We were founded in 2006 based on a core LiDAR technology. For shorter ranges, we develop state-of-the-art custom and standard precision LiDAR products to enable new measurement capabilities in the Industrial Metrology industry. For longer ranges, our airborne Gas Mapping LiDAR™ ..." Accounts Manager (Bozeman, MT, USA) Safety Coordinator (Bozeman, MT, USA) Staff Accountant (Bozeman, MT, USA) Regional Sales Engineer (Remote (Dallas, TX, USA)) Regional Sales Engineer (Remote (Houston, TX, USA)) Haven Energy "Haven Energy is a well-funded, seed-stage startup focused on accelerating the adoption of home energy storage through a two-sided marketplace model. We believe that widespread, distributed storage will be a key part of our energy future, helping stabilize the electric grid in the face of increasing climate change-induced weather events, aging infrastructure, and increased electric loads due to home electrification. ..." Sales Consultant - Residential Battery Energy Storage Systems (Remote) (Remote (Remote - Los Angeles, CA)) General Manager - Southern California (Los Angeles based) (Remote (Los Angeles, CA)) Cloverly "Cloverly, an API for carbon offsets, uses technology to help businesses, organizations, and individuals become carbon neutral or even carbon negative. Cloverly has made carbon offsetting available in a wide variety of business segments for everything from ridesharing and flights to fintech and supply chains. Offset projects in the Cloverly portfolio include everything from wind and solar farms to reforestation and improved ..." GTM & Partnerships, Climate Solutions (Remote) GTM & Partnerships, Climate Solutions (Remote (Atlanta, GA, USA)) Enterprise Go To Market (Remote (London, UK)) Climate Solutions (Remote (Atlanta, GA, USA)) Euclid Power "Euclid Power is a renewable energy company that helps renewables developers and investors develop, diligence, execute, and asset-manage renewables projects. Euclid provides a transformative data and project management platform alongside value-add services to guide developers and investors through execution on complex projects at all stages of the project lifecycle. Euclid is led by a world-class team of industry-leading ..." Chief of Staff (NYC (Hybrid)) Senior Project Manager (Remote (Nyc, Remote)) TeraWatt Infrastructure "TeraWatt Infrastructure was established, in the absence of anything like it, to provide solutions for the large scale electric vehicle charging infrastructure required to meet the rapid electrification of medium and heavy duty transport and fleets. The company serves as a crucial intermediary between customers, electric vehicle charging service providers, electricity suppliers, grid operators, and capital markets, for organizations of ..." General Application (Remote (San Francisco, Remote)) Twelve "We're Twelve, a new kind of chemical company built for the climate era. Our breakthrough technology eliminates emissions by turning CO2 into essential products. We call it carbon transformation. Reinventing what it means to be a chemical company, we're on a mission to create a climate positive world and a fossil free future. ..." Director of People (Remote (Remote - US)) Logistics Specialist (Berkeley, California) Senior Process Engineer - Chemical Processes (Remote (Remote, US)) Senior Electrical Design Engineer (Remote (Remote, US)) Recruiting Coordinator (Berkeley, California) Senior EH&S Specialist (Remote (remote - US)) Systems Engineering Manager (Berkeley, California) Hardware Development Manager, R&D (Berkeley, California) Polymer Chemist (Berkeley, California) Software Engineering Manager (Hybrid - Berkeley, California) Director, Manufacturing Site Operations (Berkeley, California) Staff Equipment Design Engineer (Berkeley, California) Staff Technical Program Manager (Hardware Development) (Berkeley, California) Staff Electrical Engineer (Berkeley, California) Sourcing Engineer, Electro-Mechanical (Hybrid - Berkeley, California) Patent Prosecution Director (Remote (Remote - US)) Senior Manager of Renewable Energy Project Development (Remote (Remote - US)) Manufacturing Engineer (Berkeley, California) Staff Characterization Engineer (Berkeley, California) Engineering Manager, Test Stand Development (Berkeley, California) Antora Energy "Antora Energy is electrifying heavy industry with zero-carbon heat and power. We make it possible and profitable to fully rely on renewable energy for industrial processes. Antora Energy's thermal energy storage soaks up excess solar and wind electricity and uses it to heat blocks of carbon so they glow like inside a toaster (but very bright!). This thermal energy is then delivered to ..." Equipment and Facilities Maintenance Technician (Sunnyvale, CA) Sr. Mechanical Engineer (Sunnyvale, CA) Electrical Engineering Manager (Sunnyvale, CA) ReFED "ReFED is a national nonprofit working to end food loss and waste across the food system by advancing data-driven solutions to the problem. ReFED leverages data and insights to highlight supply chain inefficiencies and economic opportunities; mobilizes and connects supporters to take targeted action; and catalyzes capital to spur innovation and scale high-impact initiatives. Starting with the 2016 Roadmap to ..." Business Initiatives Senior Manager (Remote) That's it for this week! Remember, you can always view thousands of more jobs on Climatebase.org. Final reminders... 👋 Get discovered. Complete your profile to be seen by hundreds of employers hiring on Climatebase. 🚀 Accelerate your climate career. Apply to join the Climatebase Fellowship. 🌱 Hiring? Post your jobs to reach tens-of-thousands of Climatebase users and over 30,000 weekly newsletter subscribers. 👋 New here? Subscribe! ❤️️ Share a link to this week's edition 🐦 Let's connect! Follow us on Twitter @Climatebase, and our co-founders @evandhynes and @jhardin925