FOTON-project

We currently face two major challenges: securing our future energy supply by transferring from fossil fuels to sustainable energy sources and reducing emissions of the greenhouse gas CO2. Only in this way can we achieve the objectives of the Paris climate agreement; limiting global warming to a maximum of 1.5°C in the 21st century and achieving net zero CO2 emissions by 2050. In the INTERREG project FOTON, 9 project partners have the ambition to develop high-tech systems and materials for sunlight-driven sustainable processes that contribute to a climate-neutral industry. The direct use of sunlight as an energy source for chemical processes has several advantages compared to the conventional use of sustainably generated electricity. First, the high energy efficiency when using sunlight directly: there is no energy loss when converting sunlight into electricity, or less energy loss if the electricity is generated in the chemical reactor itself. Transport of electricity is not necessary and direct use is made of sunlight for the local production of green hydrogen and methanol. Through three pilot demonstrations, it will be shown that sunlight can be used in a technologically efficient, energy-efficient, and financially feasible way as a sustainable energy source for the production of green methanol and green hydrogen. The research within FOTON forms the basis for future translation to an industrial process and offers commercial opportunities for material and equipment manufacturers and chemical companies in the region. FOTON is a project of TNO, Universiteit Hasselt, Interuniversitair Micro-elektronica centrum Leuven (IMEC), Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, Universiteit Antwerpen, AZTEQ, DCL Corporation (NL), Soltech and Vrije universiteit Brussel. The project was initiated by TNO. FOTON is supported by the Interreg Flanders-Netherlands program, the Dutch national government, and the provinces of North Brabant (NL), Limburg (NL and VL), and East Flanders