Publications
News
is breadcrumb link

1. Annual Conference of the SWEET consortium reFuel.ch

Experts from research and industry discussed the technical and regulatory challenges of implementing sustainable fuels and platform chemicals at the first annual conference of the SWEET Consortium reFuel.ch.
September 23, 2024
“Project portfolio and degree of implementation make the fulfillment of the EU SAF quota likely, the PtL quota unlikely.” stated Bernhard Dietrich, at the 1. Annual Conference of the SWEET consortium reFuel.ch
“Project portfolio and degree of implementation make the fulfillment of the EU SAF quota likely, the PtL quota unlikely.” stated Bernhard Dietrich, at the 1. Annual Conference of the SWEET consortium reFuel.ch

Approximately 100 participants, with around half representing the private sector and federal offices, gathered at the V-Zug premises to discuss the initial results of the young consortium and to receive input from external experts.

Bernhard Dietrich gave an impressive presentation on "Forecasts for Renewable Aviation Fuel and Its Consequences." He explained that numerous Power-to-X (PtX) projects are currently under development. However, after the feasibility studies, many of these projects face a significant risk of termination. Experience has shown that the primary reasons for this include unclear regulatory and legal situations, new and complex technologies, and uncertain demand. As a result, (used) vegetable oil is currently and for the medium term the preferred raw material for aviation fuel. However, all parties agreed that the quantities available in the long term will not be sufficient.

For the researchers in the consortium, this underlines the need to solve the open social and technical issues for the time when vegetable oil-based fuels are no longer sufficient to ensure the necessary reduction in greenhouse gases.

Frederic Vogel introduced a different way to produce jet fuel via biomass, such as green waste, manure, or wood residues. He summarized the state of the art and the challenges associated with sourcing bio-oil from these biomass substrates through hydrothermal liquefaction. This bio-crude serves as a precursor for various types of fuels.

These topics were also the focus of panel discussions and the poster session that took place on this day.

Besides aviation, high-temperature processes in industry are also facing significant decarbonization challenges. During the lunch break, V-Zug, the event's host, invited the participants to a guided tour of the enameling oven. Christian Bach explained that V-Zug is pursuing plans to use hydrogen for heat-intensive processes and to extract it from methane through pyrolysis. This process removes the resulting carbon from the atmospheric carbon cycle as pellets.

In summary, it was an informative day that offered insights via specialist presentations and plenty of opportunities for informal discussions.

Selected presentations from the day can be downloaded here: Link

‍

Share this post
PUBLICATIONS

Latest findings from research

Research Paper Energy & Environmental Science
Papers

Haber–Bosch 2.0 for low-carbon ammonia production: a global techno-economic and environmental assessment

Decentralized ammonia production via electric Haber–Bosch (Haber–Bosch 2.0) could support shipping, chemical manufacturing, and local fertilizer supply chains. Unlike conventional Haber–Bosch systems, Haber–Bosch 2.0 technologies operate at lower pressures (∼30–60 bar) and temperatures (∼400 °C), enabling smaller, modular ammonia systems powered by low-carbon electricity. However, its economic viability and environmental performance under diverse conditions remain unclear. Here, we apply techno-economic and environmental life cycle assessment using a novel, open-source framework to optimally design ∼13 000 grid-connected, hybrid, and off-grid electric Haber–Bosch configurations worldwide. Our results demonstrate that decentralized ammonia production costs are between €740–4100 tNH3−1, which is substantially higher compared to centralized ammonia production (∼300 tNH3−1 historically with recent spikes up to ∼€800 tNH3−1). Hybrid configurations exhibit the lowest costs (€740–2090 tNH3−1), particularly in regions with low grid electricity prices, low capital costs, and/or abundant renewables. However, their GHG emissions vary widely depending on the GHG intensity of the local grid. Off-grid systems exhibit the lowest life cycle GHG emissions (on average 0.70 tCO2-eq. tNH3−1), but demonstrate high costs (more than €1100 tNH3−1), driven by oversized renewables and energy storage media to enable continuous Haber–Bosch operation. Cost parity may be achieved by 2050 through technology learning, especially for hybrid systems (€325 tNH3−1). To realize this potential and secure low-carbon fertilizer supply, policymakers should; (1) accelerate the decarbonization of national power grids, (2) provide early-stage deployment support for flexible, electric Haber–Bosch technologies, and (3) establish clear certification standards for low-carbon ammonia.
July 23, 2026
blog post of reFuel
The FOCA Aviation and Climate Funding Programme supports innovative projects to reduce aviation emissions—particularly in the field of renewable synthetic aviation fuels.
News

Strong interest in FOCA Aviation and Climate Funding Programme

More than 50 participants joined a reFuel.ch coordination meeting to exchange insights and explore collaboration opportunities ahead of the upcoming call.
July 10, 2026
blog post of reFuel
Research Paper Energy & Fuels
Papers

Prospective Life Cycle Assessment of Alternative Fuels and Carbon Capture in Swiss Gas-Fired Power Plants

Carbon-neutral energy systems will rely heavily on electrification and intermittent renewables, thereby increasing the need for flexible technologies such as gas turbines. Using alternative fuels in gas turbines could reduce greenhouse gas emissions and support net-zero goals, but their full life-cycle emissions impact has not been evaluated yet. This study presents a prospective life cycle assessment (LCA) of simple cycle gas turbines (SCGTs) in Switzerland, evaluating their performance with various alternative fuels and the potential integration of carbon capture technologies. The analysis considers domestically produced biomethane (from wood chips or biogas) and four e-fuels─e-hydrogen, e-methane, e-ammonia, and e-Fischer-Tropsch (e-FT) fuels─synthesized in regions with cost-effective renewable electricity in Spain, Iceland, and the Netherlands. Regarding carbon capture, we investigate both storage (CCS) and utilization (CCU), considering storage sites in Italy and Norway. The assessment covers multiple impact categories across 2035 and 2050. The results show that domestic biomethane provides a practical and climate-friendly option, reducing life-cycle climate impacts by nearly 80% in the near term and approaching 90% in the long term. In contrast, e-methane does not exceed an 80% reduction in the long term even under its most favorable production pathways. Both biomethane and e-methane can offer net-negative emissions if combined with CCS. Domestic CCU does not offer any environmental advantage if liquefying and transporting hydrogen (H2), instead of directly importing e-methane via pipeline. Multimodal transport increases environmental impacts compared to pipeline transport across several categories. Beyond climate impacts, alternative fuel production introduces trade-offs across most categories compared with natural gas. This study underscores that minimizing greenhouse gas emissions alone is insufficient and that system-level assessments are essential to minimize overall environmental impacts in future flexible power systems.
July 23, 2026
blog post of reFuel
Show all