Therefore, Synhelion and SMS Concast, a company of the SMS group based in Zurich, entered into a strategic partnership back in November 2021. The connection was obvious, as Synhelion is a spin-off of ETH Zurich. Together, the companies now want to actively shape the energy transformation of the metals industry. In a first step, SMS Concast invested massively in Synhelion's solar technology as part of a capital increase.
When the partnership was announced, Dr. Philipp Furler, CEO and founder of Synhelion, said: "The SMS group will support us with its comprehensive know-how in plant design and operation as well as in environmental technology. Together, we will accelerate the commercialization of our technology worldwide and integrate our solutions, such as thermal energy storage, for further applications in the metals industry."
Tim Ovelgönne, Corporate Development at the SMS group and responsible project manager, emphasized the great potential of the versatile sun-to-liquid technology and called the investment an "important step in the decarbonization strategy of the SMS group."
"World first" in Jülich
With the financial resources provided by SMS, Synhelion plans to start regular operation of its solar fuel production plant in Jülich before the end of this year. The plant covers the entire process: from the concentration of sunlight to the production of the synthetic liquid fuel. The infrastructure comes from the DLR Institute for Solar Research. It operates the two solar towers and an almost ten-hectare field with more than 2,000 movable spikes (heliostats) that capture sunlight and direct it to the towers.
Synhelion says it can produce solar fuels here at a price that is competitive with fossil fuels. The company is receiving further financial support for the construction from the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK).