September 26, 2024

Pushing forward: Synhelion produces syncrude at plant DAWN

Synhelion inaugurated DAWN, the world’s first industrial-scale solar fuel plant, in summer 2024. Now, the Synhelion team has already achieved a crucial breakthrough in the commissioning phase of plant DAWN.

Synhelion has successfully and continuously produced synthetic crude oil, also known as syncrude. The syncrude can be refined in existing refineries into renewable kerosene for planes, diesel for ships, and gasoline for cars. Synhelion’s Sun-to-Liquid technology uses solar heat to convert CO₂, biomethane, and water into syngas and subsequently into synthetic transportation fuels.

This achievement represents an important step toward creating a sustainable alternative to conventional fossil fuels and is a testament to the expertise, dedication, and hard work of Synhelion’s highly skilled team.

Now that plant DAWN is operational, Synhelion has achieved the plant’s primary goal of producing renewable solar fuel.

Solar fuels of DAWN
In DAWN, Synhelion’s innovations are integrated on an industrial scale for the first time. The solar tower contains a solar receiver, a thermochemical reactor, an electric heater, and a thermal energy storage that enables cost-efficient solar fuel production around the clock. DAWN demonstrates the Sun-to-Liquid technology and will produce several thousand liters of fuel per year.

Solar fuels can directly replace fossil fuels and are fully compatible with the global existing fuel infrastructure. The first batches of renewable solar fuels from DAWN will be used in showcases across various transportation sectors, including aviation, marine, and road transportation. This will provide a tangible demonstration of the viability of sustainable fuels in real-world applications and underscore Synhelion’s role in reducing global emissions through innovative technology.