Astana Times, 28.09.2016

The 17 best energy-generating projects out of 136 submitted have been chosen to be showcased in the Energy Best Practices Area (eBPA) Pavilion at EXPO 2017.

A commission headed by Secretary General of the International Exhibitions Bureau Vicente Loscertales chose the winning projects from submissions made from more than 25 countries. The international selection committee includes two Nobel Prize winners.

“At the moment, we have almost finished selecting the best projects. But this is only the first stage. Now engineers and other experts will transform the projects to exhibits,” the head of the commission said at a press conference in Astana on Sept. 15.

Commission member, Nobel Prize winner in physics and Professor at the University of California George Smoot described the selection procedure.

“We can say that we have looked into the future and see how the energy of the future will look. We have received a lot of applications for participation in the competition. I would like to thank organisers who have searched projects and ideas in different cities and countries. The work continues to this day. In the beginning, we had selected 64 projects from 136 ones. After that, we chose 32 projects from 64. As a result, we have finally chosen the 17 best projects, which will be presented in the Pavilion of Best Practices at EXPO 2017,” he said at the press conference.

Also selected were 4-5 additional projects to be presented in the territory of the exhibition pavilion.

Loscertales shared his opinion about the preparation for the whole event.

“I am very impressed with the construction of EXPO because almost all the work coming to an end. The participants of the thematic pavilions will start to fill their pavilions with exhibits this October. Those objects that I saw at the construction site of EXPO are modern and unique. I would like to note the progress that has been made in terms of operating activities, cultural programmes and the promotion of EXPO at both the international and national level. We are very satisfied with the state of preparation for the EXPO,” he stated.

The zone of best practices is closely connected with the idea of ​​the event, “Future Energy.” It is dedicated to the demonstration of successfully implemented methods and projects in the field of energy technology. The zone is the symbolic centre of the exhibition, which will feature the best technologies, projects and strategies in various fields of sustainable energy: production, conservation and use of electricity, combating climate change and ensuring energy access in developing countries.