"An exciting milestone", hydrogen will decarbonise aviation and reshape the future of flight. One day man will also use zero-emission hydrogen for cars, ships, heating and everything else, "transforming the way we live our lives."

LONDON, Nov 29: A first in the world, British aircraft engine maker Rolls-Royce has tested hydrogen fuel for running aircraft engine, instead of the conventional aviation fuel. A breakthrough, although a long way off, will greatly reduce carbon emissions and help halt climate change. The test jointly conducted with Airline EasyJet (AE) was successful.

The ground testing was done at a Government test facility at Boscombe Down, at a military site on Salisbury Plain open space in southern England. A converted AE 2100-A turboprop engine was used for the test. The hydrogen for the test was generated using tidal and wind energy from Scotland's Orkney islands, at a European facility. A full-scale ground test on a Pearl 15 jet engine will be conducted soon.

Rolls-Royce and Airline EasyJet (AE) said in a joint statement that they have "set a new aviation milestone with the world's first run of a modern aero engine on hydrogen."

Rolls-Royce chief technology officer Grazia Vittadini said that the test was an “exciting milestone.” "We are pushing the boundaries to discover the zero carbon possibilities of hydrogen, which could help reshape the future of flight,” he said.

UK Business and Energy Minister Grant Shapps described the demonstration as a “prime example of how we can work together to make aviation cleaner while driving jobs across the country.” He called it a "true British success story." He said in a statement, "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."

Drawbacks of hydroden fuel

The main problem with hydrogen is it needs to be cooled to minus 253 deg C to be stored as liquid before converting to gas for use as fuel. Besides, it may take up more space, the jet will have to be redesigned anyway. It will take up four times the volume of jet fuel for same performance. Doubts are also being expressed if it will work for long distance hauls.

The green hydrogen used in the test was produced by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen, and the electricity needed for the process came from tidal and wind energy at the Orkney islands facility. On the other hand, the industrial blue hydrogen from natural gas emits a lot of carbon dioxide in the production although it is trapped. In the production of grey hydrogen from fosil gas the CO2 is realeased into the air.

Airbus is also planning to use a A380 to test hydrogen-powered engines (see video).

One day man will use zero-emission hydrogen for cars, planes, ships, heating and everything else.

The United Nations has set a target to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.