A megawatt-class fuel cell propulsion system powered by hydrogen will be developed as part of Project NEWBORN through multidisciplinary cooperation between 18 partners from 10 different European nations.
A group led by Honeywell recently convened to introduce the European Clean Aviation project, which aims to create a new generation of hydrogen fuel cells for the aviation sector. A megawatt-class fuel cell propulsion system powered by hydrogen will be developed as part of Project NEWBORN through multidisciplinary cooperation between 18 partners from 10 different European nations.
“Achieving aviation’s transformation to climate-neutral requires a comprehensive arsenal of disruptive solutions that will bring momentous gains in aircraft energy efficiency coupled with low- or zero-carbon energy sources,” said Axel Krein, executive director, Clean Aviation. “With the launch of NEWBORN we can kick-start the necessary work to drive a step-change in aircraft performance and deliver EU Green Deal ambitions for net-zero flight,”he further added.
As the aerospace industry works to reduce carbon emissions, green hydrogen, also known as hydrogen produced by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen using renewable electricity, is a very clean power source that can be used to power future aircraft. Future, sustainable aviation beyond a megawatt will be born thanks to NEWBORN’s megawatt-class fuel cell propulsion system. Pipistrel Vertical Solutions, an innovative general aviation manufacturer with a Slovene base, will integrate and test the final demonstrator.
“Our priority is creating realistic solutions to make flying sustainable. NEWBORN is pushing the boundaries of current hydrogen fuel cell research by establishing a hydrogen hybrid powertrain that employs Pipistrel’s batteries with liquid hydrogen-powered fuel cells at megawatt levels,” said Tine Tomažič, chief technology officer, Pipistrel Vertical Solutions. “It’s an honor to be working alongside our industry partners on a project that opens up truly exciting possibilities,” he further added.
At the Honeywell Technology Solutions research and development facility in Brno, Czech Republic, as well as at other Honeywell and project-partner locations throughout Europe, work will be done on NEWBORN.
“Honeywell is dedicated to helping our customers achieve environmental targets through technologies that make our world more sustainable and better connected,” said Kurt Shewfelt, senior director, Breakthrough Technology Initiatives, Honeywell Aerospace. “We are proud to work with our project partners on innovative, new technology that will help integrate hydrogen propulsion on commercial aircraft and contribute to a more sustainable future for aviation,” he further added.
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In response to its first Call for Proposals for disruptive technology research to power the climate-neutral aircraft of the future, the Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking, the European Union’s research and innovation programme for transforming aviation toward a sustainable and climate-neutral future, will fund €700 million over 20 chosen ground-breaking sustainability projects. The first Call for Proposals’ top-ranked project, Project NEWBORN, also received the highest rating from the selection committee.
