Visitors pay interests in algae bio-energy facilities exhibited in the Low Carbon Future Area at China Pavilion’s 33m exhibition floor.
Thin film solar panels are installed on the roof of Shanghai Eco-home.
Mobile hydrogen refueling trucks are getting stuffed at the World Expo hydrogen refueling station
MAY 1, SHANGHAI: The World Expo 2010 Shanghai China opens its magic garden today to the world, starting for the 184-day’s grand journey.
Earlier on April 25, as the Shanghai Expo has tried running for five days, the reporter has experienced the garden among the tourists and viewed ENN’s highlight programs at the Expo.
Energy; Proper taking and efficient use
“What’s the green liquid flowing in the tubes?” “I heard the first time that algae produce oil…” “Wow, the solar panels can move and chase the sun!” Lots of tourists asked and acclaimed before ENN’s facilities in Low Carbon Future Area at China Pavilion’s 33 m exhibition floor. They discussed with much interest about the videos by touching and operating themselves the electronic screens.
At ceiling of the passage to this Area hang a lot of transparent “gas bubbles”. They are carbon dioxides, part of the presentation about how the carbon emissions influence and change our lives. While this Area also shows solar panels, wind turbines and algae facilities as “results of the humanity wisdom” for protecting the planet from pollutions.
“The exhibition at this Area is very novel, especially the equipment that uses algae to produce oil.” said a visitor from Jiangsu China, “The new technologies about clean energy are very meaningful for helping us protect the environment.”
While taking energy in proper ways, we should also use them efficiently. Both taking public vehicles and driving new energy fueled cars are good choices for saving energy in our daily life. At the Low Carbon Future Area, Roewe E1 electric car is exhibited as a representative of what we called new energy fueled cars.
About 50,000 visitors per Expo trial running day came and viewed China’s ingenuity in future city development.
Home; Pursuit of eco-lifestyle
At the Urban Best Practices Area, catching our eyes is a four-story white and grey house. That’s the Shanghai Eco-home, the sole practical case held by Shanghai city for the Expo.
The Eco-home deserves the name. At entrance of the house set a series of enclosures composed of glass tubes, with green algae flowing within it. Walk along the enclosures, we entered a comfort “home” full of nature. There are green plants, colorful flowers and elegant screens that plant algae for absorbing carbon dioxides. Breeze wind turbines and thin film solar panels help the house create powers.
Here the visitors can feel the past, today and future’s lifestyle through practical models, vivid photos and videos.
As we went upstairs to the 4th story, the “Bamboo Garden” had received many visitors around the touch screens labeled by blue-colored words; they are bio-mass, solar, hydrogen and wind energy.
In front of the “solar energy” touch screen, a little girl was interested in playing the small game that catches small suns to light the house.
“We have received a large amount of visitors since the beginning of trail running”, introduced one of the staff working at the Eco-home.
She said in confidence, “we persist in improving our services for receiving guests from different places of the world”.
Traffic; Calling for green commuting
What kind of vehicles will the visitors take for touring the Shanghai Expo garden? The 1,017 new energy fueled buses and cars is the answer.
As an experimental unit for promoting the use of new energy for autos, the municipal government of Shanghai works with the Ministry of Science and Technology of China in running new energy fueled autos under the call for “Green Commuting”. This is expected to help lessen the traffic emissions of the Expo.
Among the new autos, there are 196 hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles including 100 sightseeing buses, 6 shuttle buses and 90 VIP cars. They are estimated to use more than 600 kg hydrogen fuels per Expo day.
A hydrogen refueling network has been established for ensuring the supply. Hydrogen refueling stations and mobile hydrogen refueling trucks are deployed to provide the traffic safe, flexible and timely services.
At ENN-operated World Expo hydrogen refueling station that locates at Jiyang Road, Pudong New District, beside the Expo garden, we saw the crew busy with debugging the equipment for ensuring a safe and successful operation.
The main contributors to the Expo’s transportation also include hybrid fuels driven autos and electric cars shuttling at the 5.28 squire-kilometer large garden.
All the scenes brought us a clearer picture of better cities and better life.