Rolls-Royce Unveils World’s First Aero Engine Running on Hydrogen
Hydrogen works as a form of zero carbon aviation fuel.
Rolls-Royce has teamed up with easyJet for a cutting-edge development in aviation transportation. The two companies announced that they’ve successfully pulled off the first run on a modern aero engine on hydrogen, making them first in the world to accomplish the feat.
According to Rolls-Royce, the two companies aimed to prove that hydrogen can be utilized to safely power aero engines as part of their overarching future goal to substitute hydrogen as a zero carbon aviation fuel and, eventually, to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
The test was carried out on an early prototype of a converted Rolls-Royce AE 2100-A regional aircraft engine at a facility in the U.K. The engine used what’s called “green hydrogen,” a type of hydrogen created by wind and tidal power.
“We are committed to continuing to support this ground-breaking research because hydrogen offers great possibilities for a range of aircraft, including easyJet-sized aircraft,” easyJet CEO Johan Lundgren said. “That will be a huge step forward in meeting the challenge of net zero by 2050.”
Rolls-Royce and easyJet are already planning for their second set of tests on the concept engine, with a long-term aim to run actual ground tests on a Rolls-Royce Pearl 15 jet engine.
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