Workers install solar panels on the China Pavilion. [Photo by Gao Erqiang/China Daily]

China will flaunt its latest progress in developing renewable forms of energy at the 2010 Expo as the country speeds ahead to a future characterized by environmental conservation and wise stewardship.

In recent years the Asian power's economic growth has come with unintended consequences: a worsening environmental mess that is wreaking havoc on nature and putting its residents at risk.

But as the host dresses to impress at the looming fair, it aims to show that it can more than keep pace with the other 240 countries and international organizations competing to show the harmonic balance of nature and society at their respective pavilions.

Even the construction of the expo ground provides lessons in responsible energy use, with the park expected to generate some 4.7 megawatts of solar power and the China Pavilion having solar panels installed on its two 60-plus-m platforms.

The red panel-wrapped pavilion, one of a handful that will not be torn down when the expo ends next October, has cost the government 1.5 billion yuan ($22 million) to build and has already been dubbed the Oriental Crown as the host nation's showcase piece.

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Eco-warriors should also be encouraged by the news that China is embracing building-integrated photovoltaics, or light-admitting panels which are being used for three of the four permanent expo structures.

"Organizers are trying to build a green and eco-friendly expo," said Zhao Guojing, a senior engineer with Shanghai Shenneng New Energy Co. The company is a senior gas and power supply partner of the Shanghai Expo.

The latest technology for generating solar energy has been adopted, he said. The idea is to show the prospects of developing this form of clean energy.

Another statement of the Chinese organizers' vision of a new China lies in the Theme Pavilion, which will house exhibitions showing innovative solutions to urban problems.

Its major exhibition hall covers 30,000 sq m and the other two halls are big enough to accommodate four large passenger jets. A total of 26,000 sq m of solar system will be built into its rooftop.

Once installed, the two energy sources used for the China Pavilion and Theme Pavilion will generate 2.84 million kWh of power, equivalent to the amount produced by burning 1,000 tons of coal. These renewable energy sources will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 2,500 tons.

The Theme Pavilion's solar energy generation system will also become Asia's largest stand-alone BIPV project. The Expo Center and Nanshi Power Plant will showcase more projects combining solar power.

Meanwhile, London will build two houses at the Urban Best Practices Area that are not reliant on conventional electricity and water supplies. They will instead make use of the sun, wind and biotic energy, that is, energy created by living organisms and rainwater.

Two three-story houses in the Puxi section of the expo site will have slanted rooftops covered with plants, solar panels and windmills bringing fresh air inside. As another energy-saving measure, restaurant leftovers will be used for to generate power, with visitors able to see how the food is turned into electricity.

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