Everybody at Bosch is excited by the possibilities that hydrogen presents. We’ve identified hydrogen as a megatrend – an area of the economy that is going to grow in significance exponentially in the coming decade.

Sustainability is a strong driver of everything we do at Bosch. As a company that has reached net zero, we recognise the need to replace fossil fuels across all areas of the economy. Hydrogen is playing a crucial part in reaching that goal.

Bosch is driving the energy transition by developing innovative hydrogen technologies in a variety of different sectors and markets.

Hydrogen has many applications, particularly in mobility, heating and industry. It can be used to power aircraft and ships in addition to passenger cars and commercial vehicles. It’s also been proven to be a clear replacement for natural gas when it comes to heating buildings.

Energy suppliers and the steel industry are also relying on hydrogen and it is clear that both politicians and businesses are turning their attention towards hydrogen very seriously.

Bosch’s commitment in this area is demonstrated by our one billion euro commitment to fuel-cell development, from 2021 to 2024. This investment will go towards developing both stationary and mobile fuel cells.

We plan to put 100 stationary fuel cell plants into operation this year. A wide variety of users will benefit, including data centres, industrial manufacturers and residential areas.

One stationary solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC), located in the centre of Bamberg, Germany, was brought into operation at the end of March 2021 together with Stadtwerke Bamberg, the city’s public utilities.

Furthermore, the success of the H21 project, which examined the potential for the city of Leeds to transition from natural gas to hydrogen by 2025, shows that decarbonisation of heating through hydrogen is practical and economical.

Worcester Bosch has developed a boiler that, with a few changes, can be run using hydrogen as its fuel. Replacing natural gas boilers with hydrogen may be the simplest solution to decarbonising heating and hot water in people’s homes.

The H21 project found that this transition was technically feasible, economically viable and could be accomplished at little cost to the consumer, while also leading to a 73% reduction in CO2 emissions from heating in the city. As a result, we are working with gas infrastructure companies and the UK Government to encourage the gas grid to transition from natural gas to hydrogen.

On the mobility side, Bosch hopes to play a role in realising climate-neutral transportation for vehicles of all sizes. Hydrogen will play a part in this and we estimate that the market for fuel-cell components will be worth around 18 billion euros by the end of the decade.

We recently entered into a joint venture with China’s Qingling Motor Group to produce fuel cell powertrains. The joint venture aims to provide all Chinese vehicle manufacturers with fuel cell systems. The components required for this, such as the fuel cell stack, air compressor with power electronics, and control unit with sensors, come from Bosch and a test fleet of 70 trucks is set to be on the roads before the end of this year.

The opportunity that hydrogen presents is one that’s not to be missed. Governments from all over the world are developing hydrogen strategies and investment plans. The G7 is likely to support hydrogen as a key enabler of a low carbon future. In such a fast changing environment I am pleased that, at Bosch, we were quick to recognise and promote the potential of energy generation using hydrogen fuel cells, and we’re very excited about its future.

https://www.h2-view.com/story/exclusive-bosch-identifies-hydrogen-as-a-megatrend/