Engine manufacturer Rolls Royce and British multinational low-cost airline EasyJet reported on Monday the world’s first test run of a modern aircraft engine with hydrogen.
The ground test was conducted with an early concept demonstrator powered by green hydrogen from wind and tidal power at the MoD Boscombe Down military facility in the UK.
For this, Rolls-Royce adapted the AE 2100-A turboprop engine, which equips aircraft such as the C-130J and C-27J to run on hydrogen.
This is an important step towards proving that hydrogen could be a future zero-carbon jet fuel, Rolls-Royce and Easyjet said in a joint statement.
The project is in line with the UN’s global Race to Zero campaign, which aims to achieve zero carbon emissions by 2050.
“The success of this hydrogen test is an exciting milestone. We only announced our partnership with easyJet in July and we are already off to an incredible start with this landmark achievement. We are pushing the boundaries to discover the zero carbon possibilities of hydrogen, which could help reshape the future of flight,” said Grazia Vittadini, Rolls-Royce Chief Technology Officer.
According to the British engine manufacturer, the next step will be to analyze the results of ground tests to support the development of a hydrogen version of the Pearl 15 jet engine.
In July, Rolls-Royce announced plans to develop engines with hybrid-electric and hydrogen technology. The goal is to bring a green propeller to the market for small and medium-sized aircraft in the mid-2030s.
The company also participates in studies with Embraer and the airline WiderØe for the development of regional aircraft with both hybrid-electric and hydrogen propulsion.
Hydrogen has been pointed out by Airbus as the most promising technology to reduce emissions in large commercial aircraft. Boeing on the other hand is still reluctant to consider this gas as an ideal solution in the future.
