Intelligent Energy Secures Funding to Develop Zero-Emission Hydrogen Fuel Cell System for Aircraft
Key Ideas
- Intelligent Energy secured a £17 million programme from the ATI Programme to fast-track the development of a new hydrogen fuel cell system for commercial aircraft.
- The Project HEIGHTS aims to develop a 300kW modular aviation fuel cell platform for applications in Electric Vertical Take-off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft and short-range commuter planes.
- The innovative cooling technology using direct water-injection is expected to significantly reduce heat exchanger size in the fuel cell system, addressing key challenges in traditional fuel cell systems in aviation.
- The adoption of fuel cell systems in aircraft could potentially reduce CO₂ emissions by up to 25.6 million tonnes per year and create as many as 1,600 new jobs, with a total market value estimated at £19.6 billion.
Intelligent Energy, a leading hydrogen fuel cell manufacturer in the UK, has secured a £17 million programme from the ATI Programme to accelerate the development of a zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell system for commercial aircraft. This initiative, known as Project HEIGHTS, aims to adapt IE's 300kW modular aviation fuel cell platform for use in next-generation aircraft, starting with Electric Vertical Take-off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft and short-range commuter planes. The project focuses on solving the challenge of keeping fuel cells at the correct operating temperature without adding significant aircraft drag, with a patented direct water-injection technology that reduces heat exchanger size. The potential adoption of this fuel cell system could lead to a significant reduction in CO₂ emissions and the creation of new jobs in the aviation sector. Intelligent Energy sees hydrogen as the primary energy source for flight in the future and aims to make their system smaller, lighter, and more scalable to support this vision.