By Courtesy of Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce and easyJet are currently working on the development of a hydrogen-powered aircraft engine. The goal is to offer commercial flights in a few years, a world first.
Rolls-Royce and easyJet are currently working on the development of a hydrogen-powered aircraft engine. The goal is to offer commercial flights in a few years, a world first.
The ground test was carried out on a demonstrator still at the prototype stage. For both Rolls-Royce and easyJet, the aim is to demonstrate that hydrogen has the potential to be a reliable emission-free alternative for the future of civil aviation. This challenge is part of the UN-backed "Race to Zero" campaign to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
A successful first test took place at an outdoor test facility at the MoD at Boscombe Down, a Royal Air Force base in the United Kingdom. The test involved a specially converted Rolls-Royce AE 2100-A aircraft engine. The green hydrogen used for the test was provided by the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC), generated by wind and tidal power. This British alliance aims to carry out flight tests with hydrogen as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, Airbus has already unveiled several hydrogen-powered aircraft concepts and is also aiming to have a zero-emission commercial aircraft in service by 2035.
The long-term idea of an aircraft powered with hydrogen is that it will ultimately only emit water. In theory, the use of hydrogen should have no negative impact on the aircraft's performance, which should be as fast as if it were burning a combustible liquid.
It's still early days for hydrogen-powered aircraft, but the first commercial flights of less than 3,000 kilometers could begin by 2035, according to a report published in 2020 by the European Commission. A few years later, flights of up to 7,000 km could take advantage of this technology. Today, aviation alone is responsible for 3.6% of the EU's greenhouse gas emissions.
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