Rolls-Royce has successfully tested a modern aircraft engine running on hydrogen for the first time, marking a significant step towards decarbonising aviation. The trials, conducted at a military site on Salisbury Plain in partnership with easyJet, used a modified AE-2100A gas turbine, a design commonly found on regional aircraft.
The engine, stripped of its bodywork and secured to a test rig, was fed with green hydrogen produced at the European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney, using renewable energy from tidal and wind power. Unlike conventional kerosene, hydrogen produces no carbon dioxide when burned, offering a potential path to net-zero emissions for the aviation industry.
Alan Newby, director of aerospace technology at Rolls-Royce, said: 'Normally we would run this thing on kerosene. Kerosene is a hydrocarbon and therefore produces carbon dioxide when it burns. The beauty of looking at a fuel like hydrogen is that it doesn't contain any carbon and, therefore, when it burns it produces no CO2.'
EasyJet has contributed several million pounds to the initial trials. David Morgan, the airline's chief operating officer, explained that battery technology was deemed too heavy for large commercial aircraft, making hydrogen a more promising option for short-haul flights.
However, significant challenges remain. Hydrogen takes up about four times more space than kerosene and must be stored as a liquid at -253°C. The aircraft design will need to accommodate large, insulated tanks and a system to regasify the fuel before combustion. Additionally, the environmental benefits depend on the hydrogen source; most industrial hydrogen today is produced from natural gas, releasing CO2, though blue hydrogen with carbon capture offers a lower-carbon alternative.
