From prototypes to functional systems. Hydrogen technologies are among the most talked-about areas of modern energy. On a global scale, hydrogen is seen as one of the tools for decarbonizing industry, transportation, and energy systems.
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Hydrogen technologies are among the most discussed topics in modern energy. On a global scale, hydrogen is seen as one of the tools for decarbonizing industry, transportation, and energy systems. At the same time, however, hydrogen is not a universal solution for all applications. Its value is particularly evident where direct electrification faces technical, operational, or economic limitations.
There is no doubt, however, that hydrogen is a path worth exploring. This is evidenced by the fact that, alongside the grand strategic plans of powerful nations and energy conglomerates, there are also very concrete development projects that are testing the practical application of hydrogen. And it is encouraging that such projects are also emerging in the Czech Republic, which aims to play a significant role in hydrogen technologies. The updated Czech Hydrogen Strategy, approved by the government on July 17, 2024, treats hydrogen as a tool for reducing emissions and supporting economic growth. It does not assume that hydrogen will universally replace electricity or natural gas in all sectors, but focuses on applications where it makes technical and economic sense: transportation, energy storage and transmission, the chemical industry, and specific technological heat sources. A phased approach is also important. The first phase is based on local hydrogen islands and valleys, where hydrogen is produced and consumed as close as possible to the production site. The strategy also anticipates the preparation of gas infrastructure, an analysis of the repurposing of distribution networks, hydrogen storage options, and the development of electrolysers, including related infrastructure. The strategy is not based solely on the volume of future production, but indirectly opens the door to system integration, testing, management, and the development of specific applications—that is, precisely the competencies that will determine whether hydrogen remains a strategic concept or transforms into a functional technology in operation.
What does the Czech Republic need to ensure that this strategy doesn’t remain merely on paper, as is so often the case? Perhaps more examples like DEVINN. This family-owned development firm from Mladá Boleslav has long operated at the intersection of the automotive industry, modern energy, electrical engineering, and systems integration. It does not operate as a mass producer of finished hydrogen equipment. Its role is different—it designs, tests, prototypes, and integrates technologies intended to demonstrate how hydrogen can be utilized under real-world operating conditions. The results include functional demonstrators such as H2BASE, H2BOT, and H2PORT, as well as development experience applicable in a broader industrial context.
The Czech Republic will certainly not be among the countries with the largest supply of low-cost renewable electricity for green hydrogen production in the coming years. However, as DEVINN demonstrates, it can offer a different path: industrial know-how and practical experience in the automotive, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering sectors, as well as in the testing and development of complex systems.
“Hydrogen has an incredibly wide range of applications; in general, it can replace all fuels currently in use. However, thanks to its fast refueling times and favorable energy density per unit of weight, it is particularly well-suited for transportation technology—specifically for vehicles the size of a van and larger. It therefore has a place, for example, in a fleet of hydrogen-powered buses,” ” saysKarel Souček, Head of Development at DEVINN.
One of the company’s most important projects is H2BASE, a mobile hydrogen-powered source of electricity and heat. At a glance, it may resemble an alternative to a diesel generator. However, its significance is broader. H2BASE serves as a technological platform on which DEVINN develops its own electronics, software, and control systems for hydrogen applications.
It is precisely this layer that is essential to the functionality of hydrogen systems. The fuel cell must work in conjunction with other parts of the system, from the hydrogen supply and safety monitoring to the power electronics and load control. The system must respond to variable loads, operating conditions, temperature, pressure, safety limits, and user requirements. In other words: a hydrogen system is not merely an energy source. It is a controlled technical system.
In addition to H2BASE, other demonstrators have been developed to showcase various applications of hydrogen. H2BOT is a concept for a charging station that uses hydrogen as an energy source. It is designed for the field of electromobility and demonstrates the possibility of recharging in areas where distribution capacity is insufficient or where a mobile, temporary solution is needed.
H2PORT, on the other hand, is a mobile hydrogen refueling station. Its significance lies primarily in the fact that hydrogen mobility and hydrogen-powered machinery cannot function without the ability to refuel. Infrastructure is one of the main obstacles to the development of hydrogen applications. And then there is transportation. In the European context, battery-powered electric mobility has gained significant traction for passenger vehicles. For heavy machinery, special-purpose vehicles, or operations with long work cycles, the situation is more complex. The weight of batteries, charging time, required power, or operation outside standard infrastructure can create opportunities for hydrogen systems. DEVINN seized this opportunity with the Tatra hydrogen project. “The hardest part was getting everything set up correctly so that we could accommodate all possible operational and non-operational scenarios. And then there was the build quality, because in this case, it has to withstand more than just wind and rain,” reveals Karel Souček.
One of the key aspects of hydrogen development is integration into broader industrial supply chains. When a Czech company develops and fine-tunes the parameters of hydrogen modules for global players, such as Eaton, it is not merely a single contract. It is confirmation that Czech companies can deliver value in a sector that will be technologically and economically significant in the coming years. For the Czech Republic, this may be a pragmatic path. It is not necessary to strive to manufacture every component of the hydrogen economy here. What matters is maintaining and developing capabilities that will be in demand across the market: system integration, control, testing, safety, diagnostics, software development, and the ability to rapidly prototype.
It is precisely these capabilities that will determine whether the Czech Republic will merely be a consumer of foreign hydrogen technologies or an active participant in their development. At a time when European industry is striving to reduce its dependence on non-European suppliers, local engineering expertise is of strategic importance. “I am convinced that the Czech Republic has a significant opportunity in the field of hydrogen technologies, particularly when it comes to flexibility—we are able to respond continuously to developments in various aspects of both contracts and the market. And the hydrogen sector is highly dynamic; the market will appreciate this adaptability,” saysDEVINN’s head of development.
The debate over hydrogen often swings between two extremes. On one hand, there is the notion that hydrogen will solve almost everything, from transportation and energy to home heating. On the other hand, there is the view that it is an overly expensive and inefficient technology that has no practical significance.
The reality is less glamorous but technically more interesting. Hydrogen certainly has its limitations. Its production, compression, storage, and reconversion into electricity all involve losses. The infrastructure is costly, and safety requirements are high. Where energy can be used directly in electrical form, direct electrification will often be more efficient and simpler. At the same time, however, there are areas where hydrogen can offer a combination of properties that other technologies struggle to provide, or cannot provide at all.
“I agree that hydrogen has its limitations. These stem from the fact that the electricity–hydrogen–electricity chain is not perfectly efficient; therefore, where this chain can be replaced by more efficient technology, there is no room for hydrogen. But in many applications—and I am absolutely certain of this—hydrogen will prevail. That’s what we’re betting on. After all, there are a whole host of problems to solve and improvements to be made. Ever since the days of the steam engine, we’ve known that even if something works on paper, there’s still a very long road to the prototype and mass production,” concludes Karel Souček.
Hydrogen technologies will develop gradually. It will not be a single breakthrough moment, but a series of incremental steps: pilot projects, testing, standardization, cost reduction, infrastructure development, and the search for applications with a clear return on investment. In this process, companies that can combine the courage to innovate with technical discipline will play a key role. DEVINN demonstrates one possible path for the Czech Republic—the ability to think of hydrogen as a system.
If hydrogen is to establish a firm foothold in the Czech energy sector and industry, it will not be enough to simply adopt technologies from abroad. It will be necessary to understand them, adapt them to specific operations, manage them safely, and optimize them over the long term. This is precisely where the Czech strength in hydrogen development may lie: not in a single groundbreaking component, but in the ability to assemble a complex system so that it actually works.
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