From 1 October 2021, the German pavilion at Expo 2020 will showcase 36 creative exhibits linked to sustainability, grouped in “labs” dedicated to the topics of energy, cities of the future and biodiversity.

Three themed areas – the Energy Lab, Future City Lab and the Biodiversity Lab – are designed to raise awareness of the importance of sustainability both for today and tomorrow.

Videos and display boards will explain the more complex ideas and innovations, and visitors can try out the interactive exhibits for themselves.

“The pavilion is a forward-looking place of knowledge, research and human interaction,” says Dietmar Schmitz, commissioner-general of the German pavilion.

“Its interactive exhibition is aimed at bringing people from different cultures and backgrounds together and allowing them to playfully learn how to create a sustainable future for us all.”

Germany’s presence at Expo is shaped by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs & Energy, which commissioned Cologne-headquartered trade fair organiser Koelnmesse to implement the project.

“Numerous exhibits have been installed in the three thematic areas,” says Schmitz. “Facts and Fiction, the creative agency from Cologne responsible for content, exhibition and media design, has designed a truly unique display of German innovation, showcasing practicable solutions “made in Germany” for real-life problems.”

Exhibit provider Germany-based polymers manufacturer Covestro, for example, is showcasing the topic of carbon capture and usage (CCU). The firm uses carbon dioxide (CO₂) as an alternative raw material for plastic production, reducing dependency on fossil feedstock.

“Our technology uses CO₂ as a chemical building block to replace fossil raw materials that normally serve as a base,” a Covestro spokesperson tells MEED.

“The CO₂ is thereby permanently bound into the product. The CO₂-based material has the same high quality as conventional solutions and can be incorporated into existing value chains. Initial studies also allow conclusions to be drawn that plastics based on CO₂ technology may be easier to recycle.”

Other exhibits at the German pavilion include:

• Startup Enerkite takes a new approach to wind energy with kite-based systems that offer a considerably more efficient means of generation than traditional wind power facilities.
  
   
• An exhibit by Heliatek relies on energy produced by the sun. The ultra-light, flexible, ultra-thin, organic solar film can be used for entirely new applications beyond the capabilities of conventional solar technology.
  
   
• An exhibit, supplied by Munich City Council in collaboration with the German federal state of Bavaria, focuses on the sustainable use of geothermal technology to generate electricity and heat.
  
   
• Using a working model, the StenSea “Stored Energy in the Sea” exhibit by the Fraunhofer Institute for Energy Economics and Energy System Technology will demonstrate how offshore pumped storage stations in the sea work. It will demonstrate how, if installed along the coastlines of Europe, Japan and the US, the technology could supply as much as 1,000 times today’s land-based pumped storage capacity.
  
   
• With its partner SSI Schaefer, Infarm will present a future-proof, smart, modular farm where everything grows in perfect conditions – with 95 per cent less water, 90 per cent less mileage, 95 per cent less land and zero chemical pesticides.
  
   
• Researchers from the “Building Art Invention” platform at the University of Kassel have used a dye-sensitised concrete material as a photovoltaic cell. Their invention can turn any building into a solar power facility by applying a solar-active, organic liquid, such as fruit juice.
  
   
• A technique developed by the Technical University of Munich and Berliner Wasserbetriebe (Berlin’s water utility) harnesses the power of natural bacteria to reduce residual traces of medicines, viruses or chemicals in purified water in a targeted and efficient manner.
  
   
• TK Elevator will showcase Multi, the world’s first ropeless elevator that moves not only vertically but also horizontally. Underpinned by a smart control system, Multi reinvents the elevator as an urban transport system.
  
   
• A seven-seat Lilium Jet exhibit gives a glimpse of the vision to create a sustainable and accessible high-speed, regional transportation service.
  
   
• The Institute of Bio- and Geosciences (IBG-2) at the Forschungszentrum Jülich research centre will highlight its work on the challenges facing agriculture around the world as a result of climate change. Scientists have applied state-of-the-art processes, for example, to explore the properties plants will need in the future to cope with increasingly extreme environmental conditions.