A series of three chemical reactions, including a combination of endothermic and exothermic reactions, is used to generate, store, and supply on-demand heat from renewable energy sources for use in a variety of processes. Products from one reaction are used in the next reaction, and the series of three reactions is carried out once or more than once, optionally as a closed loop process.

Hydrogen is a useful carbon-neutral fuel that can be used in many applications. Unfortunately, hydrogen is hard to produce cost effectively without additional pollution from the production process. This invention solves the problem of producing hydrogen using a renewable low carbon source. This method uses high temperature heat from a concentrated solar power plant to generate steam from water. The steam can then be used with methane or another starter fuel to produce low carbon hydrogen. Additional steam can be added to boost the hydrogen to carbon ratios.

An apparatus includes an integrated heat exchanger and reactor module. The integrated heat exchanger and reactor module includes a heat exchanger channel, and a reactor channel which is thermally coupled to the heat exchanger channel. The reactor channel includes a layer of catalyst material that is configured to produce hydrogen by endothermic catalytic decomposition of ammonia, which flows through the reactor channel, using thermal energy that is absorbed by the reactor channel from the heat exchanger channel.

The plant control method includes the following. Calculating a first reference amount to be supplied for an amount of hydrogen to be supplied to a second production device (40). Making a decision on whether or not the amount of remaining hydrogen in a storage device (20) at the beginning of a subject term falls within a reference range.

A wastewater to chemical fuel conversion device is provided that includes a housing having a first chamber and a second chamber, where the first chamber includes a bio-photoanode, where the second chamber includes a photocathode, where a backside of the bio-photoanode abuts a first side of a planatized fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) glass, where a backside of the photocathode abuts a second side of the FTO glass, where a proton exchange membrane separates the first chamber from the second chamber, where the first chamber includes a wastewater input and a reclaimed water output, where the second chamber includes a solar light input and a H.sub.2 gas output, where the solar light input is disposed for solar light illumination of the first chamber and the second chamber.

The invention relates to an offshore hydrocarbon production facility arrangement that is to be located on a body of water, which includes a floating hydrocarbon processing unit, a floating renewable electric energy source, and a hydrogen gas source, wherein the floating renewable electric energy source is configured to generate electric energy; the hydrogen gas source is configured to produce hydrogen gas using the electric energy from the floating renewable electric energy source; the floating hydrocarbon processing unit is configured with an electric power generator; the electric power generator is coupled to the hydrogen gas source and is configured for receiving produced hydrogen gas as fuel gas.

A process for preparing a catalytic material of an electrode for electrochemical reduction reactions, said material comprising an active phase based on at least one group VIB metal and an electrically conductive support, which process is carried out according to at least the following steps:

a) bringing water into contact with said electrically conductive support,
b) bringing said wet support into contact with at least one metallic acid hydrate comprising at least one group VIB metal, of which the melting point of said metallic acid hydrate is between 20° C. and 100° C., the weight ratio of said metallic acid to said electrically conductive support being between 0.1 and 4,
c) heating, with stirring, to a temperature between the melting point of said metallic acid hydrate and 100° C.,
d) carrying out a sulfurization step at a temperature of between 100° C. and 600° C.

The present invention relates to an MPC-based hierarchical coordinated control method and device for a wind-hydrogen coupling system. The method comprises the following steps: (1) dividing the wind-hydrogen coupling system into upper-layer grid-connected control and lower-layer electrolytic cell control; (2) controlling grid-connected power to track a wind power prediction curve by adopting an MPC control algorithm for upper-layer grid-connected control, and obtaining an electrolytic cell power control quantity for the lower-layer electrolytic cell control at the same time; (3) dividing operation states of electrolytic cell monomers into four operation states of rated power operation, fluctuating power operation, overload power operation and shutdown; and (4) determining the operation states of various electrolytic cell monomers by adopting a time-power double-line rotation control strategy based on the electrolytic cell power control quantity, thus making the electrolytic cell monomers operate in one of the four operating states in turn.

A direct-current coupling hydrogen production system includes at least one electricity generation system and multiple hydrogen production electrolyzer systems. The electricity generation system includes: a controller, N renewable energy systems, multiple conversion systems and a power switching unit. The power switching unit includes N input ports and M output ports. The controller is configured to control the power switching unit to supply the multiple hydrogen production electrolyzer systems through its output ports with electrical energy received through its input ports, or is configured to control the power switching unit to collect electrical energy received through its input ports and to supply the multiple hydrogen production electrolyzer systems through its output ports respectively corresponding to the hydrogen production electrolyzer systems with the collected electrical energy.

An object is to provide an electrode active material that can provide an alkali metal battery having a longer charge/discharge life and a higher capacity. The problem is solved by means of an electrode active material for an alkali metal battery, represented by formula: A.sub.a1MS.sub.a2X.sub.a3 wherein A is selected from Li and Na; M is selected from V, Nb, Ta, Ti, Zr, Hf, Cr, Mo, and W which are group 4 to 6 elements; X is selected from F, Cl, Br, I, CO.sub.3, SO.sub.4, NO.sub.3, BH.sub.4, BF.sub.4, PF.sub.6, ClO.sub.4, CF.sub.3SO.sub.3, (CF.sub.3SO.sub.2).sub.2N, (C.sub.2F.sub.5SO.sub.2).sub.2N, (FSO.sub.2).sub.2N, and [B(C.sub.2O.sub.4).sub.2]; a1 is 1 to 9; a2 is 2 to 6; when a3 is 3 and a3 is 0, a2 is not 4; and when M does not include V, a3>0.