A sustainable fuels company, Dimensional Energy, and Heliogen, Inc., a provider of AI-enabled concentrated solar energy technology, have signed a letter of intent (LOI) to jointly produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at Heliogen’s concentrated solar thermal demonstration facility in Lancaster, California, in the US. This groundbreaking partnership intends to develop a supply of jet fuel made from sunshine and air to speed up the decarbonization of the aviation sector.
In order to directly transform solar energy into thermal energy in the form of high-temperature steam and air that will be utilized to manufacture green hydrogen for Dimensional Energy’s Reactor platform, the businesses will collaborate to implement Heliogen’s unique, AI-powered HelioHeatTM technology. The hydrogen will be created using the concentrated solar technology of Heliogen, whose successful test was previously disclosed. The LOI states that one of the objectives of the two firms’ partnership is to create a fully integrated, 1 bpd drop-in ready SAF. The parties anticipate that a demonstration project will be the first stage in creating a pipeline over the course of the following ten years that will transport about 3 million bbl of fuel.
As was previously reported, Dimensional Energy has secured a contract to provide 300 million gal. of SAF to United Airlines over a 20-year period.
Nearly 3% of the world’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are attributed to the aviation sector, and the UN predicts that by 2050, CO2 emissions from aircraft would have tripled. When generated from carbon-free energy sources like the sun rather than fossil fuels, like oil, SAF may quickly decarbonize the world’s aviation industry. It is a direct replacement for conventional jet fuel. According to ResearchandMarkets.com, the SAF market is anticipated to increase from US$219 million in 2021 to US$15.7 billion by 2030, growing at a 60.8% CAGR.
Bill Gross, founder, and CEO of Heliogen, said, “At Heliogen, our mission is to decarbonize industry by delivering advanced renewable energy systems that are more cost-effective than fossil fuels. We are thrilled to collaborate with Dimensional Energy to advance the decarbonization of the aviation industry. “Dimensional’s flexible thermal utilization platform is the most scalable and affordable solution, and when combined with Heliogen’s game-changing concentrated solar technology, this partnership brings us one crucial step closer to a future in which we can fly airplanes on fuel created by sunlight and air – not fossil fuels,” says Dimensional.
Jason Salfi, Co-Founder and CEO of Dimensional Energy, noted that this partnership with Heliogen “represents a crucial breakthrough in our goal of a future free from fossil fuel reliance.” Utilizing Heliogen’s ground-breaking solar-powered jet fuel (SAF) production technology will show the possibility of a totally carbon-free, more cost-effective, and seamless substitute for current jet fuel.
