The conversion of the energy supply to renewable sources (wind, photovoltaics) will increase the volatility in electricity generation in the future. In order to ensure a balanced power balance in the power grid, storage is required - not only for a short time, but also seasonally. The bidirectional coupling of existing energy infrastructure with the power grid can help here by using the electricity in electrolysis systems to produce hydrogen. The hydrogen can be mixed with natural gas in the existing infrastructure (gas storage, pipelines) to a limited extent or converted directly to methane in a gas-catalytic reaction, methanation, with carbon dioxide and/or carbon monoxide. By using the natural gas infrastructure, the electricity grids are relieved and renewable energies can also be stored over long periods of time. Another advantage of this technology, known as “Power-to-Gas”, is that the methane produced in this way represents a sink for CO₂ emissions, as it replaces fossil sources and CO₂ is thus fed into a closed cycle.

Research in the field of Power-to-Gas technology is currently addressing technological advances both in the field of electrolysis and for the subsequent methanation, in particular to reduce investment costs. In the field of methanation, load-flexible processes are to be developed that are adapted to the fluctuating supply of hydrogen. The profitability of the Power-to-Gas process chain can be increased through synergistic integration into existing industrial processes. For example, an integrated smelting works offers a promising infrastructural environment, since, on the one hand, process gases containing carbon are produced in large quantities and, on the other hand, the oxygen as a by-product from the water electrolysis can be used directly. Such concepts suggest an economic application of Power-to-Gas technology in the near future.

The direct expansion heat pump with solar energy is an energy conversion system used for water heating applications, air heating for air conditioning buildings, water desalination, solar drying, among others. This paper reviews the main designs and analysis of experiments in order to identify the fundamental objectives of any experiment which may be: to determine the factors that have a significant influence, to obtain a mathematical model and/or to optimize performance. To achieve this task, the basic and advanced configuration of this system is described in detail in order to characterize its thermal performance by means of energy analysis and/or exergy-based analysis. This review identifies possible lines of research in the area of design and analysis of experiments to develop this water heating technology for industrial applications.

The US Infrastructure Investment and Job Act (IIJA), also commonly referred to as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill, passed in 2021, has drawn international attention. It aims to help to rebuild US infrastructure, including transportation networks, broadband, water, power and energy, environmental protection and public works projects. An estimated $1.2 trillion in total funding over ten years will be allocated. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill is the largest funding bill for US infrastructure in the recent history of the United States. This review article will specifically discuss funding allocations for roads and bridges, power and grids, broadband, water infrastructure, airports, environmental protection, ports, Western water infrastructure, electric vehicle charging stations and electric school buses in the new spending of the Infrastructure Investment and Job Act and why these investments are urgently necessary. This article will also briefly discuss the views of think tank experts, the public policy perspectives, the impact on domestic and global arenas of the new spending in the IIJA, and the public policy implications.

The purpose of this work is to present the model of a Parabolic Trough Solar Collector (PTC) using the Finite Element Method to predict the thermal behavior of the working fluid along the collector receiver tube. The thermal efficiency is estimated based on the governing equations involved in the heat transfer processes. To validate the model results, a thermal simulation of the fluid was performed using Solidworks software. The maximum error obtained from the comparison of the modeling with the simulation was 7.6% at a flow rate of 1 L/min. According to the results obtained from the statistical errors, the method can effectively predict the fluid temperature at high flow rates. The developed model can be useful as a design tool, in the optimization of the time spent in the simulations generated by the software and in the minimization of the manufacturing costs related to Parabolic Trough Solar Collectors.

The CO₂  heat pump air conditioning system of new energy vehicle is designed, and the vehicle model of CO₂  heat pump module and heat management system is established based on KULI simulation. The effects of refrigerant charge, running time and compressor speed on the heat pump air conditioning system is studied, and the energy consumption is compared with the PTC heating system and the CO₂ heat pump air conditioning system without waste heat recovery. The results show that the optimal charge for full-service operation is 750 g; increasing the compressor speed can increase the cooling capacity, so that the refrigerant temperature in the passenger compartment and battery inlet can quickly reach the appropriate temperature, but the COP_h, COP_c are reduced by 2.5% and 1.8% respectively. By comparing it with PTC heating and CO₂ heat pump air conditioning systems without waste heat recovery, it is found that the energy consumption of this system is only for the PTC heating systems 42.5%, without waste heat recovery carbon dioxide heat pump air conditioning system of 86.6%. It greatly saves energy, but also increased the waste heat recovery function, so that the system supply air temperature increased by 26%, improve passenger cabin comfort. This  provides a reference for the future experimental research of CO₂ heat pump air conditioning and heat management system. 

The regulation of compressor extraction and energy storage can improve the performance of gas turbine energy system. In order to make the gas turbine system match the external load more flexibly and efficiently, a gas turbine cogeneration system with solar energy coupling compressor outlet extraction and energy storage is proposed. By establishing the variable condition mathematical model of air turbine, waste heat boiler and solar collector, we use Thermoflex software to establish the variable condition model of gas turbine compressor outlet extraction, and analyze the variable condition of the coupling system to study the changes of thermal parameters of the system in the energy storage, energy release and operation cycle. Taking the hourly load of a hotel in South China as an example, this paper analyzes the case of the cogeneration system of solar energy coupling compressor outlet extraction and energy storage, and compares it with the benchmark cogeneration system. The results show that taking a typical day as a cycle, the primary energy utilization rate of the system designed in this paper is 3.2% higher than that of the traditional cogeneration system, and the efficiency is 2.4% higher.