More Hydrogen Engines In The Wings

Following on from the recent test of the first liquid hydrogen powered flight is the news that Rolls Royce has completed tests on an engine running on hydrogen.

Working in IP with a range of different business sizes, you see the development process for breakthrough technologies follow a similar pathway. First come the smaller businesses, start-ups and spin-outs with a laser focus and a single goal. More exciting though is this stage - where the major players start taking big steps themselves. Lots of small inventions and incremental developments happen very quickly. Dynamic, smaller companies get snapped up for their technology. The next big thing is on the horizon and rapidly getting closer.

It's interesting to see the commercial partners such as easyJet take a position too, and no surprise that they see hydrogen powered planes as the perfect solution to their carbon emissions.

Aviation is going to be an incredibly difficult industry to decarbonise. Rightfully strict safety regulations mean adoption of new technologies can be slower than other industries, and the entire industry has developed around the burning of fossil fuels. So what's the future? Short haul hydrogen flights and long haul using sustainable aviation fuel is the answer which requires the least amount of technological upheaval.

The technology is essentially there already - the third step in the development process is the constructions of the supporting infrastructure. The only way will be massive investment in the electricity grid, green electrolysers, and in sustainable fuel generation.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.