SWISS and Lufthansa Group are collaborating with the Swiss and German-based company Synhelion to bring to market their Sun-to-liquid solar aviation fuel. The production of it emits no carbon dioxide into the environment.
According to Synhelion, «Solar fuels are synthetic fuels produced from solar energy. Our solar fuels contribute to an emission-free transportation sector by directly replacing fossil fuels. They are fully compatible with the existing global fuel infrastructure.»
The result of the companies working together will lead SWISS to become the first airline in the world to use a fuel produced from solar energy. At the same time, they also aim to introduce this technology to the aviation market.
Dieter Vranckx, CEO of SWISS, said, «Our partnership with Synhelion is based on our shared vision of making it possible to fly carbon-neutral in scheduled flight operations through the use of solar fuel.»
«We are proud that SWISS is the first airline in the world to fly on solar fuel. By partnering with Synhelion, we support Swiss innovation. We actively seek and promote the development, market introduction, and scale-up of this highly promising technology to produce sustainable fuels,» he concluded.
Philipp Furler, co-founder, and CEO of Synhelion, said, «Our next-generation carbon-neutral solar fuel is an economically and ecologically viable substitute for fossil fuels. The commitment of SWISS and Lufthansa Group underlines the strong interest of the aviation industry in our solar fuel. And we are already looking forward to the day when the first SWISS aircraft with our solar kerosene takes off.»
Synhelion’s SAF is produced from renewable energy sources and uses concentrated solar heat to make synthesis gas that, through other industrial processes, can be converted into aviation fuel.
«This sun-to-liquid fuel closes the fuel’s carbon cycle. When burned, it will only produce the same amount of CO 2 as was used in its manufacture. Therefore, the new fuel makes an important contribution to the effective decarbonization of air transport,» the company says.
The world’s first Synhelion plant to produce fuel from solar energy will be installed in Jülich (Germany) this year. In addition, SWISS will be the first customer from 2023 and, together with the Lufthansa Group, will facilitate the installation of another plant in Spain.
See also: SWISS will apply the innovative AeroSHARK coating on its aircraft to reduce emissions on its flights
