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Do you want to join our mission to move the world toward net zero?

If you are passionate about our mission, highly skilled in your area of expertise, and want to create an impact with your work, take a look at our open positions!

You will be part of an awesome and highly motivated team of dedicated, fun, like-minded, yet diverse people who truly want to make a difference for the future.
If you are passionate about our mission, highly skilled in your area of expertise, and want to create an impact with your work, take a look at our open positions!

You will be part of an awesome and highly motivated team of dedicated, fun, like-minded, yet diverse people who truly want to make a difference for the future.

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.

2023/24

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.

2025/26

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 production capacity to 1 million tons of fuel per year.
For example, this would cover half of the kerosene fueled in Switzerland.

2040

Toward net zero

Ramp-up of production capacity to 40 million tons of fuel per year.
For example, this would cover half of the kerosene fueled in Europe.

2050

Synhelion contributes substantially to a net-zero transportation sector.

One technology, numerous applications

Solar fuels are compatible with conventional planes, ships, trucks, and cars. The day you fuel up your vehicle with solar fuels is the day you start moving sustainably. Let’s substitute fossil fuels with synthetic fuels. This is how we unlock a clean future of transportation.

Video on Vimeo

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How it works

The mirror field concentrates the sunlight to the solar receiver at the top of the tower. The concentrated sunlight heats up the heat transfer fluid (HTF) inside the solar receiver to 1’500°C. The gaseous HTF composed of CO₂ and H₂O circulates in a closed circuit and is an ideal carrier of the high-temperature solar process heat. The HTF is transported to the ground, where it drives the cement pyroprocessing. The carbon emissions from the chemical reaction (called calcination) mix with the HTF, ensuring that zero CO₂ emissions are released into the atmosphere. The CO₂ from calcination can be harvested easily from the closed circuit.

The solar cement plant also features a thermal energy storage (TES) that ensures uninterrupted operation around the clock, even when the sun is not shining.

Video on Vimeo

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Sun-to-Liquid technology

Synhelion uses solar heat to convert CO₂ into synthetic fuels – so-called solar fuels. Solar radiation is reflected by the mirror field, concentrated onto the receiver, and converted into high-temperature process heat. The generated heat is fed to the thermochemical reactor that produces syngas, a mixture of H₂ and CO. The syngas is then processed by standard gas-to-liquids technology into fuels, such as gasoline, diesel, or jet fuel. Excess heat is saved in the thermal energy storage (TES) to enable continuous 24/7 operation.

Our solar fuels are compatible with the existing global fuel infrastructure and reduce net carbon emissions by up to 100 percent.

Watch our technology video

February 2024

Solar tower

Synhelion has completed the construction of the solar tower. The tower of DAWN is about 20 meters high, and it houses our key innovations to produce solar fuel: the receiver, the reactor, and the thermal energy storage. The tower is uniquely configured to facilitate efficient fuel production. Positioned facing north, its design minimizes shadow casting on the mirror field.

March 2024

Fischer-Tropsch plant

The Fischer-Tropsch unit has been delivered to the plant DAWN site. This facility plays a crucial role in converting sustainably produced syngas, the universal key to renewable liquid fuel, into synthetic crude oil (also called syncrude). Following this conversion, the syncrude undergoes additional refinement in a refinery to yield jet fuel, diesel, or gasoline.

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Why solar fuels?

Compatible.

Solar fuels are chemically akin to fossil fuels. They are fully compatible with the global fuel infrastructure. There is no need to adapt or refit combustion engines, refineries, fuel distribution, or filling stations.

Affordable.

Solar fuels are an economically viable substitute for fossil fuels. Our technology is affordable thanks to a much higher energy conversion efficiency than other synthetic fuel technologies.

Versatile.

Jet fuel for planes, gasoline for cars, marine fuel for ships, and diesel for trucks – Synhelion technology yields any type of fuel. Solar fuels can replace fossil fuels in all application areas.

Scalable.

Solar fuels are scalable to cover global fuel demand. Thanks to the grid-independent setup of our plants, the technology can scale quickly and independently.

Eco-friendly.

The entire life cycle of solar fuels is based on environmentally-friendly principles. The fuels are produced with renewable energy and emit not only less CO₂ but also less noxious gases than conventional fuels.

Storable.

Liquid fuels have a very high energy density. They can be transported and stored for a long time without compromising their quality. A winning combination of two non-negotiables for many fuel-consuming industries.

Independent.

Ideal conditions to produce solar fuels can be found on any continent. The independence from fossil resources results in greater autonomy. Shorter transportation routes are another key asset.

Carbon-neutral.

Our solar fuels close the fuel carbon cycle. They only release as much CO₂ into the atmosphere as was used for their production.

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