 Solution

The chemical potential is the change in Helmholtz free energy when particles are added at fixed temperature and volume:Equivalently, $dU=TdS-PdV+\mu dN$ identifies it as the derivative of internal energy at fixed entropy and volume. In equilibrium, systems that exchange particles have equal chemical potentials.

The Fermi energy is the zero-temperature chemical potential, or, for independent electrons, the highest occupied single-particle energy in the zero-temperature limit. Its numerical value depends on the chosen energy reference; the Fermi energy need not be measured from the bottom of a band unless that convention is specified.