BOS AG: the company that helps people in developing countries with energy storage technology

BOS AG was founded in 2014 by CEO Benjamin Seckinger, following the initiative of a university professor who had developed hybrid battery energy storage technology with his research team at Bosch. To date, the company has patented its systems and is still developing with new ideas based on thorough research. Fabian Weber, board member and COO of the company since 2020, explains that «working in Europe can be profitable, but it is worth reinvesting that profit in developing countries by offering a product from which they can only benefit. In a few words, BOS AG aims to make business with a positive impact on and value for people». Furthermore, BOS AG produces one of the most innovative energy storage systems in the EU marine industry, the LE300 Smart Battery System.

Green economy is certainly the central focus of BOS AG corporate philosophy. Although solar power immediately springs to mind, it goes without saying that in addition to the green issue, there is also room for the ‘human’ issue. With several projects in Africa alongside NGOs, the European company BOS AG has made its predominantly ethical business economically sustainable thanks to an innovative idea that is widely used in the yachting sector (but not only) and guarantees a much longer service life for existing recharging systems on board as well as an enormous increase in cruising range.

BOS AG’s hybrid system allows the company to continue to operate in developing countries where a large number of lead-acid batteries are in need of upgrading to improve their performance and lifespan, or where there are no electricity storage systems at all.

BOS AG cooperates with several NGOs in Africa and around the world to bring a reserve of electricity to where it is needed and vital. In Uganda it has installed a 5kWh battery system to support a 4.5 kWp solar power plant, giving energy autonomy to a refugee camp in one of the most migration-prone countries in Africa. What’s more, at the Orangutan Haven, a primate reserve, the company provided a pure system (100% lithium) with a battery with a total capacity of 30 kWh to store the energy produced by a 6kWp solar panel installation.

A further example is the fish hub on the remote island of Kenti, where only an old diesel generator was used to generate electricity. In 2017, thanks to a World Bank investment, a hybrid diesel-solar power plant was built, but the power was still not enough, so BOS AG stepped in. By adding its hybrid system, it was able to improve the performance of the existing system, supplying power to at least 340 homes and making it unnecessary to use the diesel power supply, which remains a mere backup in case of bad weather.

LE300 energy storage system by BOS AG

Thousands of this type of system have been sold and are ideal for the use on boats. The product is a hybrid system, consisting of one or more additional lithium battery modules (LiFePO4) in parallel, which are easy to install on the boat’s lead-acid battery in plug-and-play mode. LE300 is modular and capacity can be extended over time. Many people start with one or two modules and later scale up. 

Thanks to the lithium battery, the conventional lead-acid battery remains well charged even in winter. We all know that a prolonged period of low levels of charge significantly reduces battery life.

Installing the LE300 takes just a few minutes, ten to be exact. The user only needs to attach it to the poles of the 12 V lead-acid battery. Technically, the system remains unchanged, but its performance is greatly improved.

As mentioned above, BOS AG systems extend the life of existing on-board batteries by up to ten years, are offered at an attractive price and are also highly durable and ultra-certified. Small in size (229x175x67mm), an LE300 module weighs just 3.4 kilograms and is perfect for small boats or crafts with installation space constraints.

BOS AG (Balance of Storage Systems AG) is headquartered in Neu-Ulm, halfway between Stuttgart and Munich. It employs 25 people and to date has installed a total of over 12 MWh of systems.

The systems produced by this German company, which is looking towards a green future for the new generations, are varied and their field of application covers not only boats but also open-air vehicles. The systems are sturdy and designed for harsh climates with all the features that automotive standards require. The product range also includes home solutions, such as HS Home, a system capable of storing the electrical energy produced by a home solar system from 1 to 2.5 kW.

The systems are patented by BOS AG and the entire production chain is extremely controlled. The materials used come exclusively from the EU and are subjected to rigorous tracking. Only the lithium cells, as is well known, are sourced from China, but the company is making efforts to obtain the raw material from countries that are more reliable in terms of transparency and labour exploitation.

BOS AG is an example of corporate excellence, looking responsibly at its production cycle and reinvesting its profits in countries where even energy is a luxury. Light always and for everyone.

Info: https://www.bos-ag.com/