In Germany, the world's first solar fuel plant appeared, which promises to revolutionize the energy industry and contribute to the reduction of fossil resources. This innovative achievement belongs to the German company Synhelion, which has set an ambitious goal - to demonstrate the potential of solar fuel as an effective and environmentally friendly energy source.
Synhelion, founded by the Swiss Higher Technical School of Zurich, announced the opening of the world's first industrial fuel production plant using solar heat. The plant called "Dawn" is located in Germany about 50 km west of Cologne.
About it writes Interesting Engineering.
“The grand opening Dawn marks the beginning of the era of solar fuel - a turning point for sustainable transport. Our founding dream of producing renewable fuel from solar energy becomes a reality, ”said Synhelion, CEO, CEO and co -founder of Synhelion, Philip Furler.
The plant should show the possibility of eliminating dependence on fossils in transport and, especially in aviation, with the help of new technology. Engineers plan to demonstrate production readiness for large -scale implementation.
Dawn is a 20 -meter -height tower surrounded by mirrors field for sunlight. Inside the tower is a solar receiver with an inner black surface. It absorbs the heat used in the thermochemical reactor for the production of carbon dioxide and water of synthetic liquid fuel or synthesis.
The tower also has an economic storage system for thermal energy that helps to produce fuel in the dark. In the press release, digging states that Dawn for the first time demonstrates on an industrial scale the entire technological chain from concentrated sunlight to synthetic liquid fuel.
Dawn production is planned to start in the second half of 2024, and the company states that it will initially produce several thousand liters of fuel per year. The resulting synthesis gas will be sent to oil refineries for the production of certified fuel, ready for use: solar kerosene (kerosene), gasoline and diesel.
“The plant will produce about 1000 tons of fuel per year in the future. The planned future plants will much exceed the size of the first two plants and therefore will offer much higher production capacity, ”the company says.
