Power-to-Food: protein from CO₂ and renewable hydrogen reaches commercial reality

The phrase “food from air” sounds like a NASA thought experiment. In fact, it has roots in research by NASA and Finnish institutions going back decades. What is genuinely new is that the technology has crossed from laboratory demonstration into commercial production. A 2024 piece in 20 Minuten introduced Swiss readers to a generation of European start-ups working on it. Two years later, one of those start-ups is producing at industrial scale, another has pivoted, and a third has gone bankrupt. The honest, mixed picture is more interesting than the original optimism.

What “protein from CO₂” actually means

The basic process is called gas fermentation. Specialised microorganisms – typically hydrogen-oxidising bacteria such as Xanthobacter or Cupriavidus necator – are grown in bioreactors where they are fed three gases: carbon dioxide as the carbon source, hydrogen as the energy source, and oxygen. Mineral nutrients are added. The microbes convert these inputs into biomass that is up to 80 percent protein. The biomass is harvested, dried and processed into powder.

The Power-to-X connection is direct: the hydrogen comes from electrolysis powered by renewable electricity, and the CO₂ can come from industrial point sources, biogenic streams, or direct air capture. In effect, renewable electricity and recycled carbon are converted into protein, with no farmland, no irrigation, no fertiliser and no animals required.

Solar Foods: from concept to commercial production

The Finnish company Solar Foods, a spin-off from VTT and LUT University founded in 2017, has come furthest. Its product Solein is now produced commercially at Factory 01 in Vantaa near Helsinki, which became operational in April 2024 and reached its designed annual capacity of around 160 tonnes by late 2025. Solein is approved for sale in Singapore (since 2023) and has achieved self-affirmed GRAS status in the United States. Solein-containing products have launched in Singapore (ice cream, mooncakes, snack bars, dairy-free coffee) and US partnerships were announced in late 2025 for ready-to-mix protein powders and protein bars launching in early 2026.

Solar Foods reports that producing one kilogram of Solein requires approximately 1.85 kilograms of CO₂ as a feedstock. The CO₂ is taken partly from direct air capture at Factory 01, and partly from external sources. Life-cycle analysis published by the company indicates emissions equal to roughly 1 percent of conventional meat and 20 percent of plant proteins, though such figures depend strongly on the electricity grid mix used. A larger production facility with planned capacity of around 12,800 tonnes per year is in development, with first operations targeted for 2028 and reported production cost in the range of EUR 4.30 to 5.20 per kilogram.

Econutri: pivoting to pet food

The Austrian start-up Econutri, founded by Verena Schwab and her father Helmut Schwab as a spin-off from the Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology (ACIB), has taken a different path. After developing a pilot bioreactor at TU Graz, the company has focused initial commercialisation on pet food rather than direct human consumption. A 2025 update reported that Econutri is developing protein for dog food, with the rationale that regulatory hurdles for pet food are lower and the market is willing to pay premium prices for novel sustainable inputs.

This is a sensible adjustment to commercial reality. Pet food is a faster-validating proof-of-concept market than human food, and the technology is the same. If the Econutri process works at scale for dogs, the path to human consumption is not technical but regulatory.

Arkeon: the cautionary tale

The 2024 article also profiled the Vienna-based Arkeon Biotechnologies, which used archaea – a distinct branch of microorganisms – to produce all 20 essential amino acids in a single fermentation step from CO₂. The science was genuinely innovative. The company filed for insolvency in 2025, reportedly due to high operational costs that could not be matched by revenue at the scale the company had reached.

This is the part of the story that the 2024 reporting could not yet tell. Power-to-Food technology is real, but the path from interesting science to viable business is hard. Energy costs for hydrogen production, capital costs for bioreactors, regulatory approval timelines, and the need to compete with extremely cheap commodity proteins all combine to make the business case challenging.

Honest caveats and open questions

A few points to keep in mind when assessing Power-to-Food claims.

First, Power-to-Food is not carbon sequestration. The CO₂ used to grow the microbes is released again when the food is consumed and metabolised. The climate value lies in the comparison with the alternative – if Solein replaces conventional animal protein, the difference in land use, water use and methane emissions is substantial, especially if Solein production runs on low-carbon electricity. If it replaces existing plant protein, the comparison is more nuanced.

Second, the comparisons depend heavily on the electricity source. Gas fermentation is energy-intensive: the electrolysis to produce hydrogen and the operation of the bioreactor both consume electricity. If that electricity is renewable, the carbon footprint is genuinely low. If it is grid-average electricity in a high-carbon system, the picture changes considerably.

Third, consumer acceptance is a real variable. Singapore has been a faster adopter than Europe partly because regulatory frameworks differ and partly because food security drivers are stronger in import-dependent jurisdictions. European consumer acceptance of “food from air” is still being tested.

SPIN Perspective

Power-to-Food is a useful reminder that the Power-to-X family of technologies is not only about energy carriers. The same green hydrogen and the same recycled CO₂ that produce e-SAF, e-methanol or e-naphtha can also produce food-grade proteins, vitamins, animal feed and pet food. From a Swiss perspective, this matters in two ways. As a food-importing country with limited agricultural land, Switzerland has a long-term interest in food production routes that decouple from land. As an exporter of food technology, biotech and engineering expertise, Switzerland has industrial positions in the equipment and processes that Power-to-Food companies depend on.

The honest picture is mixed and worth communicating clearly. One leading company (Solar Foods) has reached commercial production. One has pivoted to a niche entry market (Econutri). One has failed (Arkeon). This is approximately what early-stage industrial technology looks like in practice. The category exists. The economics are not yet settled. The next five years will determine whether Power-to-Food becomes a measurable share of global protein supply or remains a specialty product for selective markets. Either way, the underlying chemistry continues a story that connects renewable electricity, recycled carbon and human nutrition – and that is a Power-to-X story worth following.

Sources: Solar Foods, Solar Foods (Wikipedia), Green Queen, 5 Minuten, Intelligent Living, 20 Minuten.

🤖 AI transparency: This text and its visual were created using AI, reviewed and approved by a human.