SOLON, Ohio (WJW) — A fuel cell-maker incubated in Northeast Ohio and now under a federal defense contract is setting a foundation in a Solon industrial park.
Petra Power, a manufacturer of solid oxide fuel cells, announced plans for a permanent headquarters along Solon’s Davis Industrial Parkway, expecting to create up to 20 news jobs in two years, and generate about $2.2 million in new payroll, according to a Tuesday news release.
“We are eager to welcome Petra Power to Solon,” Solon Economic Development Director Angee Shaker is quoted in the release. “This is an innovative company that is going to bring more good jobs to Solon. The company had specific building and location requirements and fortunately for them and us, Solon will be their future home.”
Fuel cells are a combustion-less and “virtually pollution-free” source of energy being used in downtown urban areas or in remote regions, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. The department in 2000 launched a program to develop low-cost, efficient and environmentally friendly solid oxide fuel cell technology for both small- and large-scale power generation.Can you spot the snake? Experts say ‘watch your step’
Petra Power was created in 2017 by Aaron Goodman, who holds a doctorate in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University and studied in its plasma physics laboratory; and Phillip Clift, who holds a Master’s in Materials Science from New Mexico Institute of Technology, according to the release.
The company has been incubating since 2018 at BRITE Energy Innovators in downtown Warren, which is Ohio’s only energy technology incubator and helps startups develop their business. Petra Power is one of the first of BRITE’s portfolio companies to expand out on its own and settle in Northeast Ohio, according to the release.
Goodman and Clift in October landed a two-year contract through the U.S. Department of Defense to develop its technology and expand its manufacturing base “to service the needs of the DoD,” the release reads.