Synhelion – European Solar Fuel Pioneer
Synhelion AG is a deep‑tech startup spun off from ETH Zurich in 2016. It develops high‑temperature solar thermochemistry to produce carbon‑neutral drop‑in fuels (jet kerosene, diesel, gasoline) from water and CO₂ using concentrated sunlight[1][2]. Synhelion’s flagship plant, DAWN in Jülich (Germany), integrates mirror fields, solar receivers, and a proprietary thermochemical reactor to convert ambient CO₂ and water into syngas and then into liquid fuel[3][4]. In June 2024 it became the world’s first industrial‑scale solar‑fuel facility[4], producing synthetic crude that has already been refined into Jet-A1 aviation fuel and used by Swiss airline SWISS in demonstration flights[5][4]. The founders and R&D originate from leading Swiss energy science (ETH Zurich, EPFL, DLR, Empa), underpinned by years of Horizon 2020 research (SUN‑to‑LIQUID)[1][6]. The company is backed by venture and industry investors (e.g. Pilatus, Eni, AMAG, Lufthansa/Swiss) and public grants (Swiss Innosuisse, German BMWi), reflecting its cross‑sector appeal[7][8]. Synhelion embodies Europe’s drive for sustainable technologies: it promises fuel sovereignty, decarbonized logistics, and energy autonomy. Its solar‑fuel process yields “drop‑in” fuels needing no changes to engines or infrastructure[9][10]. This independent, zero‑carbon fuel pathway is of growing strategic interest as the EU and NATO seek to diversify energy and reduce dependence on outside suppliers (notably Russian/Middle Eastern oil).