Aerospace Testing InternationalAerospace Testing International
  • News
    • A-E
      • Acoustic & Vibration
      • Avionics
      • Data Acquisition
      • Defense
      • Drones & Air Taxis
      • Electric & Hybrid
      • EMC
      • Engine Testing
      • Environmental Testing
    • F-L
      • Fatigue Testing
      • Flight Testing
      • Helicopters & Rotorcraft
      • High Speed Imaging
      • Industry News
    • M-S
      • Materials Testing
      • NDT
      • Simulation & Training
      • Software
      • Space
      • Structural Testing
      • Supplier News
    • T-Z
      • Technology
      • Telemetry & Communications
      • Weapons Testing
      • Wind Tunnels
  • Features
  • Magazines
    • March 2025
    • Dec 2024/Jan 2025
    • Showcase 2025
    • September 2024
    • June 2024
    • Archive Issues
    • Subscribe Free!
  • Opinion
  • Webinars
  • Events
    • All Events
    • Aerospace Test & Development Show
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Suppliers
    • Supplier Spotlights
    • Press Releases
    • Technical Papers
  • Jobs
    • Browse Jobs
    • Post a Job – It’s FREE!
    • Manage Jobs (Employers)
LinkedIn YouTube X (Twitter)
LinkedIn YouTube X (Twitter)
Subscribe to magazine Subscribe to email newsletter Media Pack
Aerospace Testing InternationalAerospace Testing International
  • News
      • Acoustic & Vibration
      • Avionics
      • Data Acquisition
      • Defense
      • Drones & Air Taxis
      • Electric & Hybrid
      • EMC
      • Engine Testing
      • Environmental Testing
      • Fatigue Testing
      • Flight Testing
      • Helicopters & Rotorcraft
      • High Speed Imaging
      • Industry News
      • Materials Testing
      • NDT
      • Simulation & Training
      • Software
      • Space
      • Structural Testing
      • Supplier News
      • Technology
      • Telemetry & Communications
      • Weapons Testing
      • Wind Tunnels
  • Features
  • Magazines
    1. March 2025
    2. Dec 2024/Jan 2025
    3. Showcase 2025
    4. September 2024
    5. June 2024
    6. March 2024
    7. Archive Issues
    8. Subscribe Free!
    Featured
    19th March 2025

    In this issue: March 2025

    Online Magazines By Ben Sampson
    Recent

    In this issue: March 2025

    19th March 2025
    contents and front cover of magazine

    In this issue: December / January 2025

    19th December 2024
    Showcase 2025

    In this issue – Showcase 2025

    6th November 2024
  • Opinion
  • Webinars
  • Events
    • All Events
    • Aerospace Test & Development Show
  • Podcasts
  • Videos
  • Suppliers
    • Supplier Spotlights
    • Press Releases
    • Technical Papers
  • Jobs
    • Browse Jobs
    • Post a Job – It’s FREE!
    • Manage Jobs (Employers)
LinkedIn YouTube X (Twitter)
Aerospace Testing InternationalAerospace Testing International
Technology Videos

Solar jet fuel production technology ready to be industrialized

Ben SampsonBy Ben Sampson11th November 20213 Mins Read
Share LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Email

Researchers in Switzerland have built a plant capable of producing carbon-neutral liquid fuels from sunlight and air – solar kerosene – which they say could be scaled up to produce jet fuel for aircraft.

The solar kerosene plant at ETH Zurich uses reactors to extract carbon dioxide and water directly from ambient air and splits them using solar energy.

The process yields syngas, a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, which can then be processed into kerosene, methanol, or other hydrocarbons. These fuels would release as much carbon dioxide during their combustion as was previously extracted from the air for their production.

The researchers have been operating a mini solar refinery on the roof of ETH’s Machine Laboratory building in Zurich for the last two years.

According to ETH Zurich the technology is now sufficiently mature for use in industrial applications and the researchers are working on how to industrialize the production process.

solar update
The research plant in Zuric: The chemical process is powered by solar energy. (Image: ETH Zürich / Alessandro Della Bella)

Aldo Steinfeld, professor of renewable energy sources at ETH Zurich said, “This plant successfully demonstrates the technical feasibility of the entire thermochemical process for converting sunlight and ambient air into drop-in fuels.

“The system operates stably under real-world solar conditions and provides a unique platform for further research and development.”

Desert solar kerosene plants

Analyses of the process  have shown that the fuel would cost 1.20 to €2 per litre if it were produced on an industrial scale. The researchers identify desert regions with high solar resources as particularly suitable as production sites.

“Unlike with biofuels, whose potential is limited due to the scarcity of agricultural land, this technology enables us to meet global demand for jet fuel by using less than one percent of the world’s arid land and would not compete with the production of food or livestock feed,” said Johan Lilliestam, a research group leader at the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies and professor of energy policy at the University of Potsdam, Germany who also worked on the research project.

If the materials used to build the production facilities, such as glass and steel, are manufactured using renewable energy and carbon-neutral methods, emissions can be further reduced to close to zero.

Political and industry support needed

However, the research also concludes that solar fuels will need political and industry support to develop because of the high initial investment costs.

“The European Union’s existing support instruments – emissions trading and offsetting – are not sufficient to stimulate market demand for solar fuels. In view of this, we propose the adoption of a European technology-specific quota system for aviation fuel. This would require airlines to acquire a specific share of their fuel from solar sources,” said Lilliestam.

The study’s authors recommend a share of 0.1% in the earliest phase of market adoption, when the price of “solar kerosene” will be high and production capacities low. This would have little impact on the cost of flying, but would promote the construction of production facilities and set in motion a learning curve that could lead to technological enhancements and lower prices. The quota could then be gradually increased until solar kerosene achieves a market breakthrough without further support measures.

The research was published this month in the scientific journal “Nature”, where the researchers from Zurich and Potsdam Universities describe how the solar reactor functions and outline a policy framework that would provide incentives to expand the production of “solar kerosene”.

 

Share. Twitter LinkedIn Facebook Email
Previous ArticleChell Instruments launches manifold mountable pressure scanner
Next Article EpiShuttle isolation pods certified for use on Bombardier 600 aircraft
Ben Sampson

Ben has worked as a journalist and editor, covering technology, engineering and industry for the last 20 years. Initially writing about subjects from nuclear submarines to autonomous cars to future design and manufacturing technologies, he was editor of a leading UK-based engineering magazine before becoming editor of Aerospace Testing in 2017.

Related Posts

News

US range opened to boost hypersonic and laser weapon testing

19th May 20252 Mins Read
News

Commercial aircraft could deploy aerosols to cool planet

9th May 20253 Mins Read
Defense

South Korea tests photonic radar for drone detection

22nd April 20252 Mins Read
Latest Posts

AIR cargo eVTOL completes night flight testing

22nd May 2025

Astrolight raises €2.8m to build optical space communications network

22nd May 2025

Industry Adoption of 3D Optical Surface Gauges

21st May 2025
Supplier Spotlights
Our Social Channels
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
Getting in Touch
  • Subscribe To Magazine
  • Contact Us
  • Meet the Team
  • Media Pack
Related Topics
  • Aircraft Interiors
  • Business Jet Interiors
FREE WEEKLY NEWS EMAIL!

Get the 'best of the week' from this website direct to your inbox every Wednesday

© 2023 Mark Allen Group Ltd | All Rights Reserved
  • Cookie Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.