A hydride heat engine produces electricity from a heat source, such as a solar heater. A plurality of metal hydride reservoirs are heated by the heating device and a working fluid comprises hydrogen is incrementally move from one metal hydride reservoir to a success metal hydride reservoir. The working fluid is passed, at a high pressure, from the last of the plurality of metal hydride reservoirs to an electro-chemical-expander. The electro-chemical-expander has an anode, a cathode, and an ionomer therebetween. The hydrogen is passed from the anode at high pressure to the cathode at lower pressure and electricity is generated. The solar heater may be a solar water heater and the hot water may heat the metal hydride reservoirs to move the hydrogen. The working fluid may move in a closed loop.

A direct heat to electricity engine includes solid state electrodes of an electrochemically active material that has an electrochemical reaction potential that is temperature dependent. The electrodes are configured in combination with electrolyte separators to form membrane electrode assemblies. The membrane electrode assemblies are grouped into pairs, whereby each membrane electrode assembly of a given pair is ionically and electronically interconnected with the other. One membrane electrode assembly of a given pair is coupled to a heat source with the other to a heat sink. One membrane electrode assembly of the pair is electrically discharged while the other is electrically charged, whereby the net and relative charge between the two remains constant because of the electronic and ionic interconnection and the difference in temperature of the membrane electrode assemblies, and thereby voltage, results in net power generation.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an electrolyte solution for a thermoelectric device, the solution comprising: a redox couple; water; and a polar organic solvent.

The invention relates to a system comprising: a fuel cell able to operate in a first and a second operating mode, such that: in the first mode, the fuel cell consumes energy in order to produce hydrogen, and in the second mode, the fuel cell produces energy by consuming hydrogen; a first storage device for storing hydrogen produced by the fuel cell when the fuel cell is in the first mode, the first storage device being able to absorb hydrogen at a first pressure and to release hydrogen at a second pressure, greater than the first pressure; and, a second storage device able to store hydrogen coming from the first storage device, the second storage device being able to absorb hydrogen by forming, with the hydrogen, a second metal hydride when the hydrogen is at the second pressure.

A hydride heat engine produces electricity from a heat source, such as a solar heater. A plurality of metal hydride reservoirs are heated by the heating device and a working fluid comprises hydrogen is incrementally move from one metal hydride reservoir to a success metal hydride reservoir. The working fluid is passed, at a high pressure, from the last of the plurality of metal hydride reservoirs to an electro-chemical-expander. The electro-chemical-expander has an anode, a cathode, and an ionomer therebetween. The hydrogen is passed from the anode at high pressure to the cathode at lower pressure and electricity is generated. The solar heater may be a solar water heater and the hot water may heat the metal hydride reservoirs to move the hydrogen. The working fluid may move in a closed loop.

A method of generating electricity from an amine-based acid gas capture process using an electrolytic cell containing an anode and a cathode and an amine based electrolyte comprising: contacting a metal based redox material with an amine based electrolyte in the presence of an anode to form a metal-ammine complex in solution; adding an absorbed or absorbable acid gas to the metal-ammine complex containing electrolyte to form an acid gas absorbed electrolyte; and contacting the acid gas absorbed electrolyte with a cathode deposit, wherein the acid gas breaks up the metal-ammine complex in the metal-ammine complex containing electrolyte thereby generating a potential difference between the anode and the cathode.

A thermoelectric generator includes a voltage source including a thermoelectric element, a starting circuit connected to the voltage source, a DC to DC converter circuit connected to the voltage source, an output connected to the starting circuit and connected to the DC to DC converter circuit, and a controller having an input connected to the voltage source, and outputs connected to the starting circuit and to the DC to DC converter circuit. The controller deactivates the starting circuit and activates the DC to DC converter circuit when a voltage at the output or when a voltage provided by the voltage source rises above a predefined upper voltage threshold. Additionally, the controller reactivates the starting circuit and deactivates the DC to DC converter circuit when a voltage at the output or when a voltage provided by the voltage source drops below a predefined lower voltage threshold.

An object of the disclosure is to provide a method of efficiently producing a highly-pure vanadium electrolytic solution from a combustion residue that is discharged from facilities such as refineries and power plants and contains uncombusted carbon. The method of producing a vanadium electrolytic solution for redox flow cell (RFB) includes a vanadium eluate generation step of obtaining a vanadium eluate in which vanadium is dissolved. The vanadium is contained in a combustion residue obtained after combustion of a fossil fuel. The method further includes a precipitation step of mixing a sulfide precipitant into the vanadium eluate to precipitate a solid substance of precipitate in a reduction state and a wet oxidation step including a process of adding dilute sulfuric acid to the solid substance separated from the solution to generate a vanadium sulfate solution.

A direct heat to electricity engine includes solid state electrodes of an electrochemically active material that has an electrochemical reaction potential that is temperature dependent. The electrodes are configured in combination with electrolyte separators to form membrane electrode assemblies. The membrane electrode assemblies are grouped into pairs, whereby each membrane electrode assembly of a given pair is ionically and electronically interconnected with the other. One membrane electrode assembly of a given pair is coupled to a heat source with the other to a heat sink. One membrane electrode assembly of the pair is electrically discharged while the other is electrically charged, whereby the net and relative charge between the two remains constant because of the electronic and ionic interconnection and the difference in temperature of the membrane electrode assemblies, and thereby voltage, results in net power generation.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an electrolyte solution for a thermoelectric device, the solution comprising: a redox couple; water; and a polar organic solvent.