Paving the way for solar fuels: Synhelion produces
solar syngas on an industrial scale for the first time
Jülich, Germany, August 18, 2022
Synhelion has become the first company in the world to succeed in producing syngas on an industrial
scale using only solar heat as an energy source. The Swiss solar fuel pioneer successfully demonstrated
this on the multifocus solar tower of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Jülich, North RhineWestphalia. The last decisive technical milestone for the industrial production of carbon-neutral jet
fuels has thus been reached.
Synhelion has developed a solar thermal process for the production of synthetic fuels that does not
require electricity. The unique technology uses high-temperature solar heat to produce syngas, whichis then used in standard industrial processes to synthesize liquid fuels, such as kerosene, gasoline, ordiesel, that are compatible with conventional jet engines and internal combustion engines. Such Sunto-Liquid fuel closes the CO2 cycle, as it releases only as much CO2 during its combustion as waspreviously used for its production.
Syngas produced for the first time using solar heat
The Synhelion team was able to successfully produce solar syngas for the first time in the ETH Zurich
laboratory back in 2010. Since then, the challenge has been to scale up the technology to an industrial
scale: This has now been achieved. The cooperation with Wood, one of the world’s leading providersof consulting and engineering services in the fields of energy and environmental technology, hassignificantly accelerated this technical development. Wood supplies Synhelion with its proprietaryreforming reactor in which the syngas is produced. Synhelion now powers this reactor exclusively bysolar process heat. To do this, solar radiation is concentrated by a mirror field onto the solar receiverdeveloped by Synhelion in the multifocus solar tower. The tower and the mirror field in Jülich belong
to the German Aerospace Center (DLR). The precise mirror field control technology was developedand installed by Synhelion Germany. Specifically, a 250-kW receiver from Synhelion was coupled witha 6-meter-high, 12-ton reforming reactor at the plant. The system has a production capacity of 100
standard cubic meters of syngas per hour. Accordingly, a plant of this size could produce about
150’000 liters of liquid solar fuel per year.
Syngas is a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. The required feedstocks for production arewater and carbon. Synhelion uses RED II-certified CO2 and methane from biowaste as a carbon source
to ensure clean production. Converting the feedstocks into liquid fuels requires a lot of energy, whichmust come from renewable sources. Synhelion’s innovative solar technology enables this process tobe powered by the sun for the first time.
Next step: production of solar kerosene
With the successful production of syngas on an industrial scale, Synhelion has reached a key milestone
in scaling up the Sun-to-Liquid technology. As a next step, Synhelion is now building the world’s firstindustrial-scale solar fuel plant, also in Jülich, which will demonstrate the entire process fromconcentrated sunlight to liquid fuels on an industrial scale. This plant is being implemented as part of
the SolarFuels project, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs andClimate Action (BMWK). The plant is expected to be commissioned as early as 2023, and SwissInternational Air Lines will be the first airline to use the solar kerosene.

Philipp Good, CTO of Synhelion, comments: “By successfully producing solar syngas, we have madethe dream of turning sunlight into fuel ready for industrial use. The last major technical milestone inscaling our technology has been achieved. Now the way is paved for the industrial production ofcarbon-neutral jet fuels, which we plan to start next year in Jülich.”

About Synhelion
Synhelion is a global pioneer in the field of carbon-neutral solar fuels. The clean energy company
evolved from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) in 2016 to decarbonize aviation.
Industrial solar fuel production will start in Germany in 2023. The first commercial production facility isplanned for commissioning in Spain by 2025. Synhelion is the first company to sustainably generate
process heat beyond 1’500°C with concentrated solar radiation. This makes it possible to drive
industrial processes such as fuel production and cement manufacturing with solar heat for the firsttime. The company provides the world with cutting-edge technology to solve the climate crisis andworks with international partners such as Eni, CEMEX, Lufthansa Group, SMS group, Wood, AMAG
Group, and Zurich Airport.
For more information, please visit: www.synhelion.com

Contact for press inquiries
Carmen Murer
Head Corporate Communication
Mobile: +41 79 619 52 11
Email: carmen.murer@synhelion.com