Fuel cell system for industrial and commercial use

Internationally, the industrial sector is responsible for about 42 percent of power consumption (IEA, 2021). It is therefore all the more important for individual industrial companies to find a safe and highly efficient energy source that is fit for the future. Our modular Bosch SOFC fuel cell system provides the necessary means. As a decentralized system, it can be installed anywhere energy is needed. It is available in power classes from 100 kilowatts to the megawatt range. It is a worthwhile investment – especially when it comes to overall operational costs. What’s more, when run on green hydrogen, which is produced using electricity from renewable sources, energy generation can be carbon-neutral during operation.The fuel-flexible SOFC system can already be operated using biomethane or natural gas. Our pilot systems have shown that the Bosch fuel cell system already achieves emissions figures significantly below those associated with conventional energy converters. This means it is good for the environment, too – which is exactly our goal. Is it yours, too?

Find out more about our pilot system in the Bosch plant in Wernau

Increasing need for electrically operated systems

In addition to the mobility sector, production and manufacturing workshops are increasingly switching to electrically operated systems and machinery. After all, efficiency and sustainability will need to go hand in hand in the factories of the future. What’s more, electrical energy can be provided much more cost-effectively than the compressed air that has traditionally been used to get many things moving. When more electrical energy is needed, existing energy grids can start to creak under the strain. This is because a gap opens up between the energy required and the energy available. Our decentralized SOFC fuel cell system can close this gap – locally and on site – providing additional stability for production and also for the grids. And that’s not all. The electrochemical energy generation process produces high-temperature waste heat as a by-product that can be used for heating or cooling purposes. This is an important aspect, because it further boosts the cost-effectiveness of our SOFC system significantly.

Up to 90 percent

The overall efficiency rate achieved by the SOFC system at beginning of life when heat and power are used

Efficient electricity all along the line

The key to the future for business and society as a whole is to generate power without causing emissions. The solution for this is to be found not only in the already familiar renewable energies such as solar and wind, but increasingly also in hydrogen – including, and especially, for industry. This is where the SOFC fuel cell system from Bosch comes in. Developed for the future, it is already available as a pilot system. It could potentially be run on hydrogen in the future, but can use natural gas or biomethane as an energy source at any time. We are confident that fuel cell technology will play a major role in the energy sector, since 85 percent of all emissions relate to energy.

Illustration: An SOFC system producing electricity and heat for production operations in an efficient, cost-effective and low-emission way. — Industrial and commercial companies pose particular challenges when it comes to energy supply. The Bosch fuel cell system can rise to these, providing an low-emission way of generating heat and power efficiently and cost-effectively.

Heating and cooling

An added bonus of the SOFC system is its potential for heat extraction. The housings of the individual units hide several hundred cells arranged in stacks. These are the very heart of the system. The electrochemical reaction inside creates hot exhaust air (>200°C). This can be extracted from the SOFC system using an exhaust air heat exchanger and then fed into a heating circuit. The waste heat can be used to heat neighboring buildings, or service water, or it can be fed into a district heating network. Alternatively, it can also be converted using absorption chillers and utilized for process cooling.

Our SOFC system – tailor-made for industrial and commercial use

The industrial and commercial sectors pose a very specific challenge when it comes to electricity supply. The SOFC system from Bosch, with its 100 kW output that can be scaled as required, is able to rise to this challenge. It is currently still a pilot system, but will enter series production in the future. Incidentally, the SOFC system in the Wernau plant is the first of its kind from Bosch and combines the SOFC units and all the key auxiliary equipment and systems to form a prefabricated, plug-&-play pilot solution.

Lower costs

The low-emission SOFC system is a futureproof investment that will pay for itself thanks to its attractive overall running costs. These stretch all the way from the low planning and installation outlay associated with the ready-made, plug-&-play system to the efficient way it uses energy to generate electricity and heat. The averaged-out cost of generating electricity with the system (LCOE) is therefore comparatively low. What’s more, failsafe and dependable SOFC technology also eliminates the need for backup systems such as diesel generators – as well as the associated costs.

High efficiency

The Bosch fuel cell system achieves an electrical efficiency level of approximately 60 percent at the beginning of life. Fossil fuels can’t compete. The average electrical efficiency rate of a coal- or gas-fired power station is only approximately 45 percent, while a lignite-fired power station barely reaches 40 percent (source: average gross efficiency of fossil fuel power plants, German Federal Environment Agency). If waste heat is also utilized, an SOFC system can even reach an overall efficiency level of up to 90 percent.

Successful measures for long-term change

Proven sustainability

When supplied with green hydrogen, produced from renewable energies, the SOFC system generates electricity with an excellent carbon usage effectiveness (CUE) score, as no CO₂ is emitted during operation. After all, it was developed and designed in anticipation of running on hydrogen alone. The waste heat generated as a by-product can be used in a variety of ways, further increasing the energy reuse effectiveness (ERE). What’s more, the fuel cell can also be operated using natural gas or biomethane. When run on natural gas, emissions can be cut approximately by two thirds compared to conventional coal-fired power stations.

Greater independence

The energy landscape is changing faster than ever before. Future trends such as electrification, digitalization and decarbonization require new methods of energy generation. The global demand for electricity and networking has never been as high as it is now. When using the decentralized SOFC system, you are opting for a power supply system that you can always rely on. After all, the system’s output is not dependent on the stability of a power grid and you can locate it anywhere, regardless of whether or not a site offers grid access.

Flexible energy supply

Several of our SOFC systems, each with an output of 100 kW, can be combined to scale a solution up to the megawatt range with excellent flexibility. Depending on how it is being used, the system output required in the industrial environment can be modulated. This sustainable and futureproof system for supplying power and heat is extremely versatile and can be used with industrial plants, urban quarters, commercial buildings, and even data centers.

Contact

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_{The Bosch SOFC system is currently in the pilot phase. All technical specifications given are development objectives and refer to the beginning of life.}

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Our fuel cell system as a reliable and efficient source of energy for industrial and commercial use

Increasing need for electrically operated systems

Up to 90 percent

Efficient electricity all along the line

Heating and cooling