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Credit: Rolls-Royce

Successful ground test of aircraft engine running on green hydrogen hailed as major milestone on the aviation industry’s decarbonisation journey

Rolls-Royce and easyJet have today confirmed they have achieved a new aviation milestone, after successfully completing the first ground test of a modern aero engine running on hydrogen.

The companies said the ground test was conducted on an early concept demonstrator using green hydrogen created by wind and tidal power. The partners described the test as "a major step towards proving that hydrogen could be a zero carbon aviation fuel of the future and is a key proof point in the decarbonisation strategies of both Rolls-Royce and easyJet".

The test took place at an outdoor test facility at the Ministry of Defence's Boscombe Down site, using a converted Rolls-Royce AE 2100-A regional jet engine. Green hydrogen for the tests was supplied by the European Marine Energy Centre, which generated hydrogen using electrolysers and tidal energy generated at its test facility on Eday in the Orkney Islands.

The test was hailed as a major step forward for the aviation's industry's decarbonisation efforts by Business Secretary Grant Shapps. "The UK is leading the global shift to guilt-free flying, and today's test by Rolls-Royce and easyJet is an exciting demonstration of how business innovation can transform the way we live our lives," he said. "This is a true British success story, with the hydrogen being used to power the jet engine today produced using tidal and wind energy from the Orkney Islands of Scotland - and is a prime example of how we can work together to make aviation cleaner while driving jobs across the country."

Grazia Vittadini, chief technology officer at Rolls-Royce, said the success of the hydrogen test was "an exciting milestone" for the company's zero emission plans. "We only announced our partnership with easyJet in July and we are already off to an incredible start with this landmark achievement," he said. "We are pushing the boundaries to discover the zero carbon possibilities of hydrogen, which could help reshape the future of flight."

Johan Lundgren, CEO of easyJet, similarly welcomed the test as an important step towards the airline's goals of operating a net zero emission fleet. "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," he said. "That will be a huge step forward in meeting the challenge of net zero by 2050."

The companies said they were now planning a series of further rig tests leading up to a full-scale ground test of a Rolls-Royce Pearl 15 jet engine, all with a view to eventually undertaking flight tests.

A growing numbers of operators in the aviation industry are exploring the potential for hydrogen as a source of fuel that could one day enable zero emission commercial flights.

While electric aircraft are emerging as an option for short haul, small scale aircraft, larger jet aircraft are expected to require alternative fuels if they are to decarbonise, with sustainable aviation fuels and hydrogen seen as the likeliest options. As such, aerospace firms and airlines are ramping up investment in R&D projects designed to develop a range of zero emission aircraft.

However, critics have warned the push to develop zero emission aircraft faces huge technical and infrastructure challenges and as such it is likely to take decades before zero emission aircraft are in widespread operation. As such, campaigners are continuing to call on governments to take more immediate steps to curb aviation emissions by reducing demand for flights.