Japan-based IHI announced that Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) has chosen the company’s initiative for electric power control and thermal and air management system technology development for the Next-Generation Aircraft Development Project under NEDO’s Green Innovation Fund program.

Prototype of megawatt-class engine-embedded electric machine for use in initiative.

For that project, IHI will develop such core aircraft electrification technologies as megawatt-class generators and the world’s most powerful aircraft electric turbo compressor.

The company will leverage these core technologies to build a power control system integrating a hybrid electric propulsion system and a thermal and air management system employing an air conditioning system for airframes. It seeks to establish an airframe system concept that delivers lower fuel consumption than conventional aircraft.

This initiative will span around seven years through the fiscal year ending March 2031.

IHI will help attain carbon neutrality by 2050 through the project by intensifying efforts to develop unique lightweight technologies, including electrifying the aircraft, applying hydrogen fuel, and developing and commercializing synthetic fuels.

Project overview

NEDO decided to create the ¥2 trillion (US$13 billion) Green Innovation Fund to ramp up efforts to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, including structurally transforming the energy and industrial sectors and investing extensively in innovation. The fund will provide ongoing support to public and private sector entities collaborating to pursue specific goals in everything from R&D through demonstrations and social implementation of outcomes over the next 10 years. This assistance is primarily in 14 priority fields for which the Green Growth Strategy has formulated action plans.