The Bosch Group will continue to utilize the environmentally friendly form of power generation at the Blaichach and Immenstadt locations in the future. Therefore it has slated 7.3 million euros for investment in the hydropower plant's modernization. "Every year, our hydropower plant helps prevent 4,000 tons of CO
2 from being released into the atmosphere," comments Reinhold Speiser, who is in charge of operations at the power plant.
At the Blaichach and Immenstadt locations the Bosch Group manufactures the ABS antilock braking system, the ESP® electronic stability program for automotive braking systems, and sensors and ignition coils for gasoline engines. The planned work will both boost performance and efficiency and improve the aquatic ecology of the Gunzesrieder Ache river, which will be able to rely on there being sufficient water levels, even during dry periods. The power plant is supplied with water by a 1.2 kilometer pipeline that drops a total altitude of 100 meters from its source, the Gunzesried reservoir. "With the electricity generated, we can cover 50 percent of the power consumed at the Blaichach plant in an eco-friendly fashion," explains commercial plant manager Henning Wagner. Moreover, 450,000 cubic meters of cooling water are also taken from the reservoir, which saves on the power consumption associated with conventional cooling systems.
The Blaichach hydropower plant is the oldest and one of the most efficient of its type in the entire district of Oberallgäu, in southern Bavaria. The Swiss-made "double Pelton turbine" first went on power in 1907, and the plant has since been expanded. It currently comprises three turbines that generate approximately ten million kilowatt hours of electricity each year – roughly equivalent to the annual power consumption of a town with a population of 8,000. Its construction marked the beginning of the industrial age in the region. Originally, the mill's spinning and weaving machines were driven purely mechanically by central water wheels and a system of bevel gears, vertical drive shafts, and transmission belts. In 1907, the machines were switched over to a much more efficient and decentralized system that relied on electric motors powered by electricity generated by the mill itself. The cotton mill was closed down in 1960, when the premises were taken over by the Bosch Group and used for the production of ignition technology for gasoline engines. "In the future, we could generate some 14 million kilowatt hours of electricity ourselves. Clearly, the use of hydropower as a source of renewable energy still has a successful future ahead of it in Blaichach," said technical plant manager Frieder Megerle.
