Honeywell, DOE Developing Hydrogen Fuel Storage for Long-Range Drones

The defense titan and the Department of Energy have entered a yearlong collaboration to prototype a new system that converts solid hydrogen to electricity.

Jack Daleo

Monday, September 18, 2023 at 02:45 PM ET

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A Honeywell Aerospace electric drone takes flight. [Courtesy: Honeywell Aerospace]

Key Takeaways:

The U.S. Department of Energy's FLASH project, a collaboration between NREL and Honeywell, is developing a novel solid hydrogen fuel storage system.
This innovative system is designed to power long-range drones (UAVs) by providing continuous, low-noise, and zero-emission electric power.
It aims to overcome the limitations of current drone power sources, such as the limited range of batteries and the noise/emissions of internal combustion engines.
The project's goal is to commercialize this technology, potentially bundling it into a swappable cartridge, for applications like atmospheric monitoring and infrastructure inspection.

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The Flash doesn’t get his superspeed from hydrogen fuel, but the U.S. Department of Energy’s FLASH project promises to explore new avenues for the emerging fuel source.

FLASH—which stands for Fuel Additives for Solid Hydrogen Carriers in Electric Aviation—is the DOE’s latest hydrogen-related initiative. The project will see the department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and aerospace and defense titan Honeywell collaborate on a prototype hydrogen fuel storage system for long-range drones.