The aviation industry is under immense pressure to decarbonise, yet scalable solutions for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) remain limited. Berlin-based Spark e-Fuels is solving this challenge with its proprietary e-fuel technology, designed to overcome the cost and efficiency barriers that have long hindered renewable fuel production.
Now Spark e-Fuels has obtained €2.3 million to develop technology that transforms carbon dioxide and hydrogen into sustainable fuel for aviation. This method uses renewable energy sources like wind and solar power to produce a fuel that can replace traditional fossil-based kerosene.
The pre-seed funding was led by a diverse group of climate-focused investors. Nucleus Capital led the round alongside Zero Carbon Capital, IBB Ventures (Investment Bank Berlin’s deep-tech and climate-tech arm), Chemovator, Voyagers.io, and 1.5° Ventures. Additionally, high-profile angel investors, including former executives from Shell, Lufthansa, BP, Siemens Energy, and McKinsey participated in the round.
With fresh funding in place, Spark is focused on two major objectives:
- Building its first e-fuel pilot plant to demonstrate real-world scalability.
- Expanding its expert team to accelerate technology development and commercialisation.
Cracking renewable energy challenge
Renewable energy has long been considered a key enabler of sustainable fuel production. However, traditional e-fuel processes struggle with one major roadblock: the intermittent nature of wind and solar power. Conventional SAF production methods require a steady electricity and hydrogen supply, making them costly and inefficient when renewable energy availability fluctuates.
Spark’s breakthrough technology decouples key production steps, ensuring seamless adaptation to daily and seasonal changes in renewable energy input. This demand-responsive approach allows Spark to produce e-fuels at a lower cost and higher yield, without the need for expensive hydrogen storage or grid infrastructure.
Scaling sustainable aviation fuel
With aviation accounting for 2-3% of global CO₂ emissions, transitioning to SAF is critical for meeting global net-zero targets. However, production remains far below demand. The $50 billion investment pipeline into SAFs signals strong industry confidence, but scaling cost-efficient production remains the missing link.
Founded by Arno Zimmermann, Julia Bauer, and Mathias Bösl in 2022 in Berlin, Spark’s modular e-fuel production technology directly addresses this challenge. By ensuring efficient fuel synthesis under variable renewable power conditions, the company is unlocking the potential for large-scale SAF deployment, making green aviation a reality sooner than expected.
While Spark’s core focus is net-zero aviation, its technology has broader implications. The chemical industry, the second-largest industrial greenhouse gas emitter after steel, is undergoing an urgent transition toward electrification. As manufacturers shift to renewable energy, they must navigate the same challenge of fluctuating power availability.
Spark’s demand-responsive production approach offers a scalable solution for integrating renewable energy into industrial processes, helping chemical manufacturers achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
Recognised for innovation
Beyond investor confidence, Spark has also received public recognition for its work. The company has secured approximately €300K in grants and won the 2024 UpLink Sustainable Aviation Challenge by the World Economic Forum. This award highlights transformative technologies driving aviation decarbonisation, further solidifying its role as a leader in next-generation SAF production.
A game-changer for green aviation
The aviation sector cannot decarbonise without a radical shift in fuel production methods. Spark e-Fuels is emerging as a key enabler of this shift, proving that SAF can be produced at scale, at lower costs, and entirely powered by renewables. Its modular, renewable-powered e-fuel production system could soon redefine SAF affordability and availability, bridging the gap between ambition and execution in the aviation industry’s net-zero transition.
By tackling the industry’s biggest hurdles, it is well on its way to reshaping the future of sustainable aviation.
“For sustainable aviation fuel to become the industry standard, production must be both scalable and cost-competitive. Our technology unlocks this potential by integrating renewable energy in a demand-responsive way,” said Mathias Bösl, CEO and co-founder of Spark e-Fuels.
“We were drawn to Spark’s ability to integrate renewable energy into chemical production in a demand-responsive way. This approach is not only essential for SAF but has wider applications across the chemical industry, which must decarbonise rapidly,” added Isabella Fandrych, General Partner at Nucleus Capital.
