We turn sunlight into fuel.

And move the world toward net zero.

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About Synhelion and our technology

Synhelion is a cleantech company that has developed a unique technology to produce sustainable solar fuels from solar energy. Synhelion contributes to a net-zero transportation sector by replacing fossil fuels with sustainable solar fuels. Our solar fuels close the carbon cycle and drive a world connected by clean, sustainable transportation.

More about us

Synhelion built the world’s first industrial demonstration plant that turns sunlight into fuel.

Explore DAWN

Solar fuels

Our solar fuels are sustainable fuels produced from solar energy. They are fully compatible with existing global fuel infrastructure and can directly replace fossil fuels. Solar fuels are nearly carbon-neutral as they will only emit as much CO₂ as was captured in their production.

Learn about solar fuels

Solar fuel plants

We built the world’s first industrial solar fuel plant in Germany. It is called DAWN. From 2025, we plan to build our first commercial solar fuel plant in Spain. The subsequent global roll-out of our technology will contribute to improved global energy security and independence from fossil fuel sources.

Explore our plants

Our technology

Synhelion uses its cutting-edge Sun-to-Liquid technology to produce renewable drop-in fuels. Our solutions combine state-of-the-art solar systems with proprietary high-temperature thermochemical processes. We are now scaling our technology to bring solar fuels to market.

See how it works

Our story

Reducing CO₂ emissions is the greatest challenge of our time. We contribute to a net-zero transportation sector by replacing fossil fuels with sustainable solar fuels. It all started with a crazy idea at ETH Zurich. What if we could reverse combustion? With every solar fuel plant we build, we move closer to a world connected by clean and sustainable transportation.

Discover our journey

Our roadmap

2014

Proof of concept

After decades of top research at ETH Zurich, we produced the world’s first solar jet fuel from H₂O and CO₂ in the lab.

2019

Small-scale demonstration

We demonstrated our technology under real field conditions in the center of Zurich and produced the world’s first carbon-neutral fuels from air and sunlight.

2019

Medium-scale demonstration

Within the framework of the EU Horizon 2020 program, the Sun-to-Liquid project produced solar fuel at the Very High Concentration Solar Tower of IMDEA Energy in Móstoles, Spain.

2020

Full-scale demonstration of key components

We built a 250 kW prototype of our solar receiver and tested it at DLR Synlight. The receiver generated world record outlet temperatures beyond 1’500°C.

2022

Production of the world’s first solar syngas

Synhelion has reached the last decisive technical milestone for the industrial production of carbon-neutral solar fuels.

2024

DAWN: first industrial solar fuel plant

Plant DAWN demonstrates the solar fuel technology on an industrial scale. Located in Jülich, Germany, the plant will produce fuel batches for showcases.