In a world first researchers have run a gas turbine on hydrogen fuel
There are lots of legacy gas systems around, from jet engines to gas plants, and this could give companies a way to "green" them and get them to run on zero emissions hydrogen fuel.
Key takeaways
- Gas turbines are found in aircraft, trains, ships, generators, pumps, compressors and all sorts of other places.
- In the race to zero emissions by 2050, gas turbines will need to adapt or die, and several organizations, including General Electric, have been looking into transitioning them to burn green hydrogen as a clean fuel source.
- GE has more than 100 turbines running on at least 5 percent hydrogen fuel by volume, and it says it's on the path to 100 percent.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2022) 'In a world first researchers have run a gas turbine on hydrogen fuel', 311 Institute, 12 June. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/in-a-world-first-researchers-have-run-a-gas-turbine-on-hydrogen-fuel/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
Gas turbines are found in aircraft, trains, ships, generators, pumps, compressors and all sorts of other places. They can run on a variety of fuels, but some 90 percent of them currently run on natural gas, a fossil fuel that produces carbon dioxide when you burn it, while also escaping into the atmosphere everywhere you pull it out of the ground, to create greenhouse conditions some 80 times worse than CO2 over a 20-year time frame.
In the race to zero emissions by 2050, gas turbines will need to adapt or die, and several organizations, including General Electric, have been looking into transitioning them to burn green hydrogen as a clean fuel source. GE has more than 100 turbines running on at least 5 percent hydrogen fuel by volume, and it says it's on the path to 100 percent.
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Now, researchers at the University of Stavinger in Norway say they've beaten everyone to the punch, claiming that they've had a 100 percent hydrogen-burning gas turbine running since mid-May this year. The university runs its own micro gas power plant, and its gas turbine produces heat, electricity and hot water for hydronic heating.
"We have set a world record in hydrogen combustion in micro gas turbines. No one has been able to produce at this level before," says Professor Mohsen Assadi, leader of the research team. "The efficiency of running the gas turbine with hydrogen will be somewhat less. The big gain though, is to be able to utilize the infrastructure that already exists." The team's research not only focused on tuning the combustion chamber for hydrogen, but on adapting the fuel system and the existing natural gas infrastructure to handle this very different gas.
Eventually, these kinds of projects will lead to conversion kits that can keep old turbine equipment alive while moving it to zero-emissions fuel sources. But before these kinds of things become economically viable, the price of green hydrogen needs to come down substantially as carbon taxes are applied to cheaper fossil fuel solutions.
Source: University of Stavanger
FAQ
Why does this matter?
There are lots of legacy gas systems around, from jet engines to gas plants, and this could give companies a way to "green" them and get them to run on zero emissions hydrogen fuel.
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
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Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 15-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity program, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
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Sources and further reading
Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 12 June 2022. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2022). In a world first researchers have run a gas turbine on hydrogen fuel. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/in-a-world-first-researchers-have-run-a-gas-turbine-on-hydrogen-fuel/
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