German Start-Up Debuts Solar-Powered E-Methane Plant

“This is the world’s first LiquidSolar™ plant producing synthetic natural gas using air, water, and renewable electricity,” the company stated at the commissioning event, which was attended by NRW Minister-President Hendrik Wüst and Essen Mayor Thomas Kufen. Greenlyte CEO Florian Hildebrand emphasized the system’s technical maturity and commercial potential: “Our system is technically advanced, economically attractive for customers, and offers strong return opportunities for investors.” He also highlighted the strategic advantages of operating in North Rhine-Westphalia, citing its industrial base, supplier network, and academic institutions.

The Duisburg pilot was co-funded by the EU and the state of NRW through the EFRE/JTF program and executed in collaboration with several key partners, including ZBT (Fuel Cell Research Centre), LTT at RWTH Aachen, and Uniper. Industrial collaborators such as Eurowings, Düsseldorf Airport, MB Energy, and Evonik were present at the launch. Panel discussions at the event underscored the growing role of power-to-X (PtX) technologies in Europe’s energy transition and the need for cross-sector collaboration to accelerate innovation scaling. The LiquidSolar platform is positioned not just for methane production, but also as a flexible platform for generating other green molecules from CO₂ and H₂.