Bosch is planning to ramp up the manufacturing of a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) system for commercial and industrial applications in 2024. With an electrical efficiency of more than 60% and a total efficiency of more than 85%, the SOFC system may run on natural gas, biomethane, hydrogen, or other blends.
“Our SOFC system is primarily used to create electrical energy, but it can also produce thermal energy at temperatures suitable for heating or cooling,” said Marcus Spickermann, Bosch’s senior vice president of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC). “Right now, we’re working on a few trial projects and preparing for market debut in 2024, when we’ll start with a production volume of 200 MW per year.”
The current prototype machines are designed to provide a power output of 10 kW from a 10 kW power supply. They can also generate 3 kW of thermal energy.
The modular SOFC units may be joined to form a cascade or cluster, forming a decentralized energy supply system, and are designed as the Internet of Things connected devices. SOFC clusters will be able to be connected to virtual power plants with high power capabilities in the megawatt range in the future.
When commercial manufacturing begins, the product may have a payback period of five to six years, making it quite appealing at that time, according to Kern. Bosch intends to mass-produce fuel cell devices at a huge scale.
Bosch has roughly 50 SOFC pilot installations in Germany, with locations in Bamberg, Homburg, Renningen, Salzgitter, Schwieberdingen, Stuttgart-Feuerbach, and Wernau. Its initial pilots are taking place at client sites like Stadtwerke Bamberg. This SOFC unit provides electricity to the local neighborhood while also providing heat to a neighboring bakery.
More pilot projects will follow in order to show the capabilities of the SOFC units ahead of the manufacturing ramp-up in 2024. Buildings, industrial applications, distributed energy supply systems (microgrids), and data centers will all benefit from the company’s products, which will be developed to satisfy specific customer needs.
