Abstract: The system generally includes an electrochemical pump for pressurizing a cryogenic gas, a heat exchanger for cooling the gas to below its inversion temperature, a Joule-Thomson flow restrictor to cool the gas by adiabatic expansion, a load heat exchanger that is thermally coupled to an electronic component or surface that requires cryogenic cooling, and a low-pressure flow path back to the pump. One or more reservoirs can be provided in the high-pressure and low-pressure flow paths. The flow paths can be thermally coupled by one or more regenerative heat exchangers. The electrochemical pump can be adapted to transport either protons or hydronium ions. Protons are preferably transported using pump components that do not contain water in any chemical form. Either hydrogen or oxygen can serve as the cryogen.