The article gives the main results of scientific and educational activities of a prominent and well-known scientist in the field of energy saving and energy efficiency improvement, development of methods and technologies for the use of renewable energy sources, environmentally efficient projects, head of the Department of Nuclear Power Plants and Renewable Energy Sources of Ural Federal University (UrFU), Honored Power Engineer of Russia, Full Member of the International Energy Academy, Dr. Tech. Sciences, Professor S. Shcheklein. It is shown the achievements of the Ural Scientific and Methodological School in this area of knowledge, as well as the history of the creation of the first in Russia Department of Energy Saving at UrFU, the Center for the Training and Certification of Specialists in the Field of Energy Saving, the Regional Educational and Methodological Center for Energy Saving. The results of the work of the Interuniversity Coordination Council on Energy Saving in educational institutions of the Ural Region under the Regional Energy Commission of the Government of the Sverdlovsk Region on the implementation of the Energy Saving Program of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation in 1999–2005 are described. The article expounds twenty years of experience in organizing and holding all-Russian, and recently – international student olympiads, youth scientific and practical conferences, exhibitions of scientific and technical creativity of students, graduate students and young scientists on energy and resource saving, renewable energy sources and nuclear energy. We have presented some results of scientific research of the laboratory “Eurasian Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Saving”, created and operated under the guidance of prof. Shcheklein and described briefly the textbooks published in recent years in the field of hydrogen energy, on the safe use of nuclear energy at modern and promising nuclear power plants, the development of a methodology for calculating complex energy systems based on the use of renewable energy sources, the classification of renewable energy clusters, performed in collaboration and under the guidance of prof. Shcheklein. Moreover, references to the main federal and regional regulatory documents, scientific publications and educational publications related to the scientist's many years of work in this area, scientometric indicators are given.

The paper discusses the possibility of creating an energy plant with high-temperature solid fuel cells (SOFC) working on hydrogen-containing gas mixture (synthesis-gas) obtained in the required for the engine small volumes of liquid fuel – methanol. In this case, all problems related to the need to obtain, store and transport hydrogen are removed, as the rate of its production and consumption by the engine are equal.

The 10 kW power plant, where direct conversion of hydrogen oxidation chemical reaction energy in SOFT anode into electrical energy is based on the products of air conversion of methanol in a catalytic burner using aluminumnickel catalysts, is considered. Methanol enters the boiler-recycler to heat up to boil and evaporate, then steamedly enters the catalytic burner. There is also air heated in the boiler-recycling. At the air consumption factor of 0.5, methanol is converted with the production of synthesis-gas. Then the synthesis-gas is cooled from 988 °С to 700 °С air fed into the cathode channel. The air is heated from 20 °С to 600 °С. Synthesis gas enters. Then from the anode canal hydrogen diffusion enters the anode, where oxygen is oxidized by air fed into the cathode channel. Hydrogen oxidation products enter the anode channel. Products from the anode canal and oxygen-depleted air from the cathode canal enter the boiler-recycling, where the hydrogen, which is not entered into the anode and contained in the synthesized carbon monoxide, is oxidized. The heat of oxidation is used to heat primary air and evaporate methanol.

The physical and chemical analysis of the energy efficiency of the high-temperature fuel cell plant, which works on synthesis-gas obtained in the catalytic process directly in the car made of liquid fuel-methanol. The resulting energy is used for the electric vehicle engine. The electrical efficiency of the installation is 42.1%, which in terms of energy efficiency exceeds the level of the best modern internal combustion engines.