Press Kit

About Synhelion

Synhelion uses the power of the sun to defossilize transportation. We produce solar jet fuel, diesel, and gasoline, which can directly replace fossil fuels. Our renewable solar fuels close the carbon cycle as they only emit as much CO2 as went into their production. They are fully compatible with existing global fuel infrastructure and offer an economically viable, efficient, scalable, and environmentally friendly solution for clean, long-distance transportation.

Our technology reduces CO2emissions in multiple transportation sectors; our current focus is on long-distance transportation and other applications that cannot be electrified. It also supports the defossilization of industries that require high-temperature process heat such as cement manufacturing.

We work with the power of the sun because it is one of the cheapest renewable energies. It is abundant and broadly distributed around the world. This allows the production of our solar fuels to be scaled worldwide, contributing to global energy security and independence from petroleum.

Synhelion owns proven and patented technologies for the production of renewable fuels. Our goal is to produce large quantities of solar fuels as quickly as possible to significantly reduce the CO2 emissions of the transportation sector.

To be able to scale up quickly, we have developed several thermochemical Sun-to-Liquid processes for the production of solar fuels. These production processes focus on the production of sustainable fuels using solar energy.

In June 2024, we inaugurated the world’s first industrial plant for the production of solar fuel in Jülich, Germany. The plant is currently being commissioned and industrial solar fuel production will start in 2024. With this plant, we are demonstrating the robustness of the Sun-to-Liquid technology. The first fuel batches from DAWN will be used for showcases in various transportation sectors.

Construction of the first commercial production plant in Spain is planned from 2025.
We will then continue to scale our technology. From 2033, we are aiming for production costs of EUR/CHF/USD 1 per liter and a commercial production capacity of one million tons of fuel per year. We plan to ramp up production capacity to cover around half of European SAF demand in 2040.

We believe in a globalized world, where people enjoy the freedom to travel sustainably and cultivate personal and professional relationships. As liquid fuels continue to be needed for travel, transportation, and freight, we need to shift to sustainable, cleaner alternatives. Our solar fuels contribute to improved global energy security and independence from fossil fuel sources. They close the carbon cycle and drive a world connected by clean, sustainable transportation.

Find answers to frequently asked questions.

Find the German version here.

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.

2025/2026

First commercial solar fuel plant

Our first commercial plant will be built in Spain and will produce 1’000 tons of fuel per year.

2033

Global rollout

Ramp-up of production capacity to 1 million tons of fuel per year.

2040

Toward net zero

Ramp-up of production capacity to cover about half of European SAF demand in 2040.

2050

Synhelion contributes substantially to a net-zero transportation sector.

Synhelion at a glance

2016

Founding year

ETH Zurich

Origin

3

Countries

50

Employees

19

Patent families

CHF 70 M

Funding

1’500°C+

Process heat

1’000’000 t

Annual fuel production by 2033

Press releases

    Images

    Synhelion’s industrial-scale solar fuel plant DAWN.

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    Synhelion’s industrial-scale solar fuel plant DAWN.

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    Aerial view of the mirror field of Synhelion’s industrial solar fuel plant DAWN.

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    Heliostat field of Synhelion’s industrial solar fuel plant DAWN.

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    Close-up of the heliostat field of Synhelion’s industrial solar fuel plant DAWN.

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    Storage and showroom for Synhelion’s solar synthetic crude oil.

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    Solar tower of plant DAWN and storage and showroom for Synhelion’s solar synthetic crude oil.

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    Close up of Synhelion's illuminated solar receiver
    Close-up of Synhelion’s proprietary solar receiver, which provides the necessary process heat to produce solar fuels.

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    Synhelion’s industrial-scale demonstration plant DAWN for the production of solar fuels.

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    synhelion - technischer ablauf

    An overview of how our Sun-to-Liquid technology works. German version.

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    synhelion - solar tower and mirror field - process
    An overview of how our Sun-to-Liquid technology works. English version.

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    Video

    Videomaterial in höherer Auflösung sowie längere Sequenzen auf Anfrage erhältlich. Kontakt: E-Mail: media@synhelion.com

    Video material in higher resolution and longer sequences available upon request. Contact: e-Mail: media@synhelion.com

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    Synhelion image video

    Watch video on YouTube

    Synhelion technology video

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    Management

    Dr. Gianluca Ambrosetti
    CEO and Founder

    Synhelion - Gianluca Ambrosetti

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    PhD in Physics/Nanotechnology

    Gianluca obtained his PhD in Physics/Nanotechnology from EPFL Lausanne. He held various positions in the concentrated solar power and photovoltaics industry – among them he was Head of Research at Airlight Energy and Managing Director of Dsolar. His achievements include several patents and scientific publications, and he is the recipient of the EPFL Prix Prof. René Wasserman 2011. He co-founded Synhelion in 2016 and now holds the position of CEO, together with Philipp. Gianluca is a passionate jazz soprano saxophone player and performs regularly at concerts and jazz festivals.

    Dr. Philipp Furler
    CEO and Founder

    Synhelion - Philipp Furler

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    PhD in Mechanical Engineering/Solar Thermochemistry, EMBA

    Philipp holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from ETH Zurich since 2014. In 2018, he completed his Executive MBA at the University of Strathclyde. Philipp has more than ten years of experience in high-temperature solar chemistry and reactor engineering. For several years, he served as Operating Agent – Solar Chemistry Research for the International Energy Agency’s technology program SolarPACES. Prior to joining Synhelion, Philipp co-founded the ETH spin-off company Sunredox, which was acquired by Synhelion in 2018. He now holds the position of CEO, together with Gianluca.

    Dr. Philipp Good
    Chief Technology Officer (CTO)

    Synhelion - Philipp Good

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    PhD in Mechanical Engineering/Solar Energy

    Philipp performed his PhD research in Mechanical Engineering at ETH Zurich in close collaboration with a concentrated solar power company. He joined Synhelion in 2017. Philipp has more than seven years of experience in the design, modelling, engineering, and experimental testing of high-temperature solar receivers and the optical alignment, characterization, and operation of solar concentrators. He is a passionate tennis player and participates in tournaments and team competitions.

    Thomas Syfrig
    Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

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    lic. oec. HSG, CFA, Advanced Federal Diploma Expert for Accounting and Controlling

    Thomas is a seasoned financial professional with a broad range of experience in Switzerland and abroad. With over two decades of financial expertise including positions as CFO, he significantly contributed to major transactions, including the sale of a large telecom company, and worked as a director at Credit Suisse in Zurich and New York. Before joining Synhelion, he served as the CFO of Bergbahnen Flumserberg and the publicly traded Poenina Holding until its merger with Burkhalter Group. He holds a Licentiate in Business Administration from the University of St. Gallen as well as an Advanced Federal Diploma as Expert for Accounting and Controlling and is a CFA charterholder. He loves spending time in the mountains. Alternatively, he enjoys water activities, both below and above the surface.

    Patrick Hilger
    Managing Director Synhelion Germany

    Synhelion - Patrick Hilger

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    MSc in Energy Engineering

    Patrick graduated with a Master of Science in Energy Engineering from RWTH Aachen University. He worked as a project engineer for the research institutions Solar Institute Jülich (SIJ) and German Aerospace Center (DLR) in the field of heliostat development and played a key role in the design and construction of Synlight, the largest artificial sun in the world. Together with Prof. Dr. Bernhard Hoffschmidt, he founded Heliokon GmbH in 2016, which has been part of Synhelion as Synhelion Germany GmbH since 2021.

    Simon Dieckmann
    Managing Director Synhelion Germany

    Synhelion - Simon Dieckmann

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    Dipl.-Ing. Mechanical Engineering + Dipl.-Ing. Engineering & Business

    Simon holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering with focus on aerospace technology and a degree in Engineering & Business from RWTH Aachen University. Before joining Synhelion in 2019, he worked for several years as a research engineer at the German Aerospace Center, where he gained extensive experience in the techno-economic assessment of renewable energy technologies and CSP-related software development.

    Measurements

    Minimum spacing
    w = 40 mm
    h = 9,5 mm

    Protected space around logo
    3× (increases proportionally)