On June 20, Synhelion inaugurated the world’s first industrial plant for the production of synthetic solar fuels using solar heat, known as DAWN, in Jülich, Germany. This inauguration demonstrates that the technology for the production of solar fuels is solar fuels is ready to be implemented on a large scale.
These renewable fuels have the potential to transform the transportation sector, especially in aviation, marking a significant achievement in the energy transition. energy transition.
Plant design details
DAWN, the first installation of its kind, features a 20-meter-high solar tower and a field of mirrors. This tower houses a solar receiver, a thermochemical reactor and an energy storage system. thermal energy storage storage system, allowing the cost-effective production of solar fuel 24 hours a day.
This is the first facility to integrate all of Synhelion’s innovations on an industrial scale, from concentrating sunlight to obtaining synthetic liquid fuel.
The DAWN plant also has the capacity to produce several thousand liters of fuel per year, with production scheduled to start this year. In situ, the plant will generate syncrude, a synthetic crude oil suitable for transportation.
This syncrude will then be refined in conventional facilities to produce solar kerosene, gasoline and diesel. These solar fuels can directly replace fossil fuels and are fully compatible with existing fuel infrastructure, from storage and transportation to internal combustion engines and aircraft engines.
Innovation in solar fuels
Founded in 2016 as a spin-off from ETH Zurich, Synhelion has established itself as a pioneer in solar fuels. The ability to produce fuels from solar heat was demonstrated for the first time in 2019 at a mini refinery at ETH Zurich. Since then, the company has been working to scale its Sun-to-Liquid technology and apply it on an industrial scale.
With the DAWN plant, this goal has been achieved, positioning Synhelion as a key player in the sustainable transport revolution.
The construction of DAWN was made possible by the company’s investors and funding from the Energy Research Program of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Protection. This collaboration has been crucial in bringing innovative solar fuel technology to an industrial scale.
Promising future with solar fuels
The company plans to build its first commercial plant in Spain in 2025, with a production capacity of approximately 1,000 tons of fuel per year. Future plants will significantly exceed the size of the initial installations, with the goal of reaching an annual production of one million tons of solar fuel over the next decade.
DAWN’s inauguration coincided with the summer solstice on June 20 and the ceremony was attended by prominent industry and political representatives. Hartmut Höppner, State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry of Digital and Transport, and Heike Birlenbach, Commercial Director of Swiss International Air Lines, praised the potential of renewable synthetic fuels to reduceCO2 emissions.
Dr. Philipp Furler, CEO and co-founder of Synhelion, called the day a historic milestone for the company and a turning point for sustainable transportation.
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Source: synhelion
Photo: Shutterstock
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