Climate-Positive Power

Highly Efficient Power Plants for Carbon-Negative Renewable Electricity and Gas Generation

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Interview with Felix Fischer, Reverion

Reverion is a highly tech-driven climate company and a spin-off from the Technical University of Munich, Germany. Over the years, they have successfully developed and patented their micro power plants, that enable a highly flexible and efficient decentralized energy supply. Founded in 2022, Reverion has expanded its team to more than 40 employees by now and they are poised to revolutionize the renewable energy sector. Felix Fischer, co-founder, managing director and COO of Reverion, provides details of the journey so far.

CHEManager: What was your entrepreneurial journey?

Felix Fischer: Our journey began in 2015 with a groundbreaking vision: to pave the way to 100% renewable energy by unlocking the full potential of biogas.Stephan Herrmann, who until recently was a group leader at the Chair of Energy Systems at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) in Garching, developed the idea for the new system design as part of his PhD. Over the years, together with the now co-founders, we developed and patented our novel high-temperature fuel cell system. After our prototype proved successful, Reverion was founded in 2022 to commercialize this technology.

CHEManager: Can you describe your technology and innovation? How does biogas contribute to achieving a 100% renewable energy system?

Felix Fischer: The transition to a future without fossil fuels is among the greatest challenges humanity has ever faced — and the problem is more urgent today than ever before. 85% of global CO2 emissions still originate from the combustion of fossil fuels. Fossil-based power generation covers the electricity demand when there’s not enough renewable energy in the grid. Furthermore, the current energy crisis has highlighted the problems of the European Union’s high dependence on natural gas imports.

Biogas can substitute imported gas and is the only major renewable energy source that is weather independent and can produce power 24/7. However, today’s biogas plants use only 40% of the energy potential, are not flexible and emit tons of CO2.

This is where our technology comes in. Our solution is a highly efficient, reversible, CO2-negative power plant for biogas. Reverion plants can double the electricity production from the same amount of biogas through higher electrical efficiencies (up to 80%). In the process, pure, storable CO2 is captured, enabling negative CO2 emissions. In addition, the same plant can reverse the process and produce green hydrogen or methane from surplus electricity. Reverion plants can therefore be used when they are most needed — both to generate electricity at times when there is not enough renewable energy in the grid, and to produce gas when there is an excess of renewable energy. In this way, we also contribute to stabilizing the electricity grid and offer solutions for long-term energy storage.