Synhelion and SWISS pioneer sustainable aviation fuels

The ETH spinoff uses concentrated sunlight to produce carbon-neutral kerosene.Synhelion's unique technology converts concentrated solar heat into the hottest existing process heat on the market. The unique procedure uses concentrated solar heat to manufacture syngas, which can then be synthesized into kerosene using standard industrial processes such as fuel production and cement manufacturing. This sun-to-liquid fuel closes the fuel carbon cycle: when combusted, it will only produce as much CO2 as went into its manufacture. The new fuel thus makes a major contribution to effectively decarbonizing air transport.

The newly formed strategic partnership with SWISS and Lufthansa Group will enable the startup to bring its solar aviation fuel to market. The partnership will make SWISS the first airline in the world to use solar kerosene. “Our team-up with Synhelion is founded on our shared vision to make carbon-neutral flying in regular flight operations possible through the use of solar fuel,” explains SWISS Chief Executive Officer Dieter Vranckx. “We are proud that SWISS will be the first airline in the world to fly with solar kerosene. In partnering with Synhelion, we are supporting Swiss innovation and are actively pursuing and promoting the development, the market introduction and the scaling-up of this highly promising technology for producing sustainable fuels.”

Synhelion will build the world’s first-ever facility for the industrial production of solar fuel in Jülich (Germany) this year. SWISS is set to become the first customer for solar kerosene in 2023. Under the collaboration now concluded, SWISS and the Lufthansa Group will support the development of Synhelion’s planned commercial fuel production facility in Spain, too.

(Press release)