In this episode of Hardware to Save a Planet, host Dylan Garrett sits down with Sandeep Nijhawan, CEO and Co-founder of Electra, to explore how his team is reinventing steel production. Their low-temperature electrowinning process converts iron ore into steel at just low temperatures, utilizing renewable electricity to reduce emissions in one of the planet’s most polluting industries. From garage startup to industry disruptor, Sandeep shares Electra’s journey, its potential to reshape global manufacturing, and why industrial decarbonization is crucial for climate solutions.

Sandeep Nijhawan is the CEO and Co-founder of Electra, a pioneering company focused on decarbonizing steel production through innovative electrowinning technology. With a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA, Sandeep brings extensive experience from his roles as President of Aqua Hydrex, where he developed electrolyzers for green hydrogen production, and as an Operating Partner at True North Ventures.

Since founding Electra in 2020, he has led the company from a garage startup to an organization with over 150 employees and two pilot plants in Colorado, having recently secured $186 million in Series B funding. His work in revolutionizing steel production through a low-temperature, renewable energy-powered process that reduces emissions by 99% represents a significant breakthrough in addressing one of the hardest-to-abate industrial sectors, which currently accounts for 8-10% of global emissions.

Episode Resource

• Sandeep Nijhawan on LinkedIn
• Electra Website
• Dylan Garrett on LinkedIn
• Synapse Website
• Hardware to Save a Planet Apple Podcasts
• Hardware to Save a Planet Spotify

Hardware to Save a Planet is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

If you are interested in sponsoring Hardware to Save a Planet, please see our sponsorship offer here.

Previous guests include: Peter Reinhardt of Charm Industrial, Carlos Araque of Quaise, Noah McQueen of Heirloom, Areeb Malik of Glacier, Jeff Satwicz of Bigbelly, Abe Schneider of Natel Energy, Insiya Jafferjee of Shellworks, Paul Gross of Remora, Erika Boeing of Accelerate Wind and Daniel Betts of Blue Frontier.

Check out our three most downloaded episodes:

• Going Big on Clean Energy with Small Fusion Reactors with Robin Langtry, Co-Founder and CEO of Avalanche Energy
• The Role of Energy Storage Systems in Combating Climate Change with Mike Wietecki of Powin and John Thomas of ESS
• Marine Electrification to Reduce Costs and Environmental Damage: A Conversation with Marcelino Alvarez, CEO of Photon Marine
  
  

If you have an interesting hardware solution to the climate crisis and would like the opportunity to share this with our audience, please complete this Guest Application form: https://fame.so/syn