As part of its Energy Research Program, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) is supporting the SolarFuels research project by Synhelion and other partners with EUR 3.92 million to advance the use of synthetic fuels in Germany and across Europe. Synhelion will use the funding to build the world’s first industrial plant for solar fuels.
Transitioning from fossil to renewable energy sources is one of the most important global challenges. Synthetic fuels are climate-friendly and offer a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels. They are compatible with conventional combustion engines, aircraft turbines, and the existing fuel infrastructure. Due to their high energy density, they also meet the requirements for long-distance transportation and aviation.
The BMWi is supporting the SolarFuels research project as part of its ambition to expand the production of synthetic fuels in Germany. The project is being carried out by the German affiliate of Ticino-based Synhelion - Synhelion Germany GmbH -, the German Aerospace Center e.V. (DLR), and the Solar Institute Jülich of Aachen University of Applied Sciences.
The world’s first industrial plant for solar fuels
The aim of the project is to build and operate the world’s first plant for the industrial production of solar fuels at Brainergy Park Jülich, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The plant will cover the entire process from concentrated sunlight to synthetic liquid fuel on an industrial scale for the first time. The end products will be solar kerosene and solar gasoline. The plant will employ Synhelion’s solar thermal process for the production of solar fuels based on process heat from concentrated sunlight.
(Press release / SK)
Picture: Synhelion uses the DLR’s solar tower in Jülich to test its solar fuel technology on industrial scale. Source: Synhelion
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