Elena Cardenas
Renewable Energy @ Boulder, CO
U.S. | Chile | Mexico
ec.elenacardenas@gmail.com
Currently a Project Economics Associate at Scout Clean Energy, working the U.S. market.
Previous experience as an Origination and Structuring Senior Analyst at Ecoplexus, also involved in Corporate Development, for the U.S. and Chile markets. As well, on the Mexico market at Gauss Energia in Mexico City as an Asset Management and Development Associate (2018-2020), and at ESCO Comercializadora Energetica in Baja California as a Development Analyst (2017), working with projects under the legacy regime and LIE.
B.A. in Economics from Pomona College in California, and post-graduate advanced French Language and graduate-level Economics studies from the University of Paris 1: Pantheon-Sorbonne in France.
Fluent in English and Spanish, and skilled in French, German, and Brazilian Portuguese.
Professional Experience
Project Economics Associate @ Scout Clean Energy
Boulder, Colorado, United States
Dec. 2022 - Present
Origination and Structuring Senior Analyst @ Ecoplexus
Mexico City, Mexico
May. 2022 - Dec. 2022
Business Analyst @ Ecoplexus
Mexico City, Mexico
Dec. 2020 - Apr. 2021
Asset Management and Development Associate @ Gauss Energia
Mexico City, Mexico
Sep. 2018 - Nov. 2020
Business Analyst @ ESCO Comercializadora Energetica
Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico
Jun. 2017 - Dec. 2017
Volunteer Work
Alumni Interviewer @ Pomona College
Mexico, United States, and France
Jun. 2016 - Present
Education
Economics and French Language Studies @ University of Paris 1: Pantheon-Sorbonne
Paris, France
Sep. 2016 - May. 2017
Organizations:
Pantheon-Sorbonne Master in Economics (PSME)
B.A. in Economics @ Pomona College
Claremont, California, United States
Sep. 2012 - May. 2016
Organizations:
International Place of the Claremont Colleges, Mexico Intl. Festival Coordinator 2013-2016
German Department Liaison 2015-2016
Associated Students of Pomona College (ASPC), Elected Representative 2013-2015
International Students Mentor Program (ISMP), Head Mentor 2014-2015Award:
Mellon Environmental Analysis Research Fellowship awarded by the Claremont Colleges Environmental Analysis Department, used for summer research in urban development in Germany (Hamburg and Freiburg) and Spain (Barcelona, Madrid, and Vitoria-Gasteiz).
Industry Skills
Qualitative Research and Analysis
U.S., Mexico, and Chile legislation; market research, project development research
Writing Project Proposals
Energy supply strategies, Mexican electricity market, investment memorandums, Spanish-English translation, writing, and editing, RFP responses
Corporate Development
Market research, outreach to key industry participants, and data room analysis
Project Management
Analysis and tracking of expenditures, management of contractual compliance fulfillment (suppliers, financing banks), insurance
C-Suite and BoD Activities
Elaboration of quarterly presentations to investors; high-frequency reports on Local Marginal Prices and macro-events to CEO and investors; monthly, quarterly, and annual review of financial information of projects; writing of memos and documents to main stakeholders; monthly operational reports for CEO, investors, and financing banks; presentation of construction and operational financial information to financing banks
Languages
Spanish | Native
English | Bilingual/Native
3 years of high school, 4 years of college in California, and multiple years of work experience.
French | B2/C1
6 semesters in college, 2 semesters in Paris at Sorbonne, and courses at the French Institute of Latin America
German | B2
3 semesters in college and 1 month in Germany
Brazilian Portuguese | A2
2 courses at the Mexico-Brazil Cultural Center.
Software
Excel
Financial modeling (including macros), databases, and Local Marginal Prices forecasting models
STATA
Econometric modeling
VBA
Word and Excel, to facilitate processes (e.g. sending standardized emails, writing and editing Excel macros, facilitating data management in Excel)
ArcGIS, Google Earth
Mapping and analysis
