The place to spot the trends that will shape the future: world fairs. The next major event will be held in China, is themed “Better City, Better Life” – The Shanghai World Expo 2010 – and will run from May till October.

About 200 countries and international organizations will show the latest products and technologies for clean energy. The exhibits will be presented in the expo’s four pavilions, named China Pavilion, Theme Pavilions, Expo Center and Performance Centre. Pavilion making is considered a must-see at a world fair, but it’s the first time there will be specially designed one for the disabled.  Wan Gang, China’s minister for science and information technology was impressed with the Japan pavilion covered with thin-film solar cells, thus generating electricityA form of energy having magnetic, radiant and chemical effects. Electric current is created by a flow of electrons. on its top. He also mentioned the Swiss pavilion, made of soy bean fiber which can produce electricity and is degradable. “It sounds novel to me, and we should seize the opportunity to learn the new technologies of the world,” he concluded.

The exhibition will focus on the latest technologies in the area of renewable energy and efficiencyUsing less energy/electricity to perform the same function. Programs designed to use electricity more efficiently - doing the same with less.. But even the event itself, attracting huge amounts of spectators, will try to be green and so set an example of how such events could be organized in the future.

• PhotovoltaicsPhotovoltaics (PV) is the field of technology and research related to the application of solar cells for energy by converting sunlight directly into electricity. Solar power is sometimes used as a synonym to refer to electricity generated from solar radiation. – electricity for the five-month long event will be generated from 4.6-megawatt solar power generators.
• Wind powerUseful energy can be mechanical energy, for example powering a fan. – 34 units of wind power generatorsIn electricity generation, an electrical generator is a device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy, generally using electromagnetic induction.
  A wind turbine is a structure that rotates due to the motion of the wind that passes by, while a wind generator is an electric ..., each 3 MW strong, are under construction and will provide electric energyThe ability to perform work, mainly kinetic, potential, thermal energy, but also in forms of gravitational, sound, elastic and electromagnetic energy..
• Efficiency – L.E.D. lamps will be used to light the expo’s four traditional pavilions
• Water use – Collected rainwater from Sunshine Valley in Beijing will supply water for more than 30 public toilets installed at the site to serve approximately 8,000 visitors at any one time.  There will be devices installed on the pavilions that recycle rainwater for daily usage. In that way all rainfall within the 5.8 kilometer exposition site can be collected.

While there was some controversy over the total cost of the expo, Mr. Wan appears optimistic about the positive impacts he expects the world fair to generate. In fact, he hopes that visitors will integrate the new technologies and methods featured there into their everyday lives and in such a way help catapult the industrial development and restructuring in Shanghai to the next level. “As science workers, we will take the exposition as a good opportunity to learn the research and development ideas of other countries and the latest technologies from them,” he said.

Would be good news if he is right, and people will embrace this opportunity and exploit green energy’s environmental as well as commercial potential. At the end of the day, technological development in that direction offers a win-win situation for the world as a whole.