Expo venue opened to the public as a demonstration site for perovskite solar cells
Used panels are recycled and used as road blocks
Ahead of its opening on April 13th, the 2025 World Expo, Japan (Osaka-Kansai Expo), held a preview on April 9th, opening the venue to the press.
In the field of solar power generation, the one that has attracted the most attention is Sekisui Chemical's perovskite solar cell. It has been announced that it will be commercialized within the year, and the largest scale installation to date is on the roof of the bus terminal at the World Expo ( related column ).
The preview event was scheduled to be held from the entrance on the east side of the venue (East Gate), which is directly connected to Osaka Metro's Yumeshima Station. The bus terminal with perovskite solar cells on its roof is located at the entrance on the west side (West Gate), which is the opposite.
Entering through this East Gate and passing through a plaza featuring a large statue of the mascot character "Myakumyaku" for commemorative photos, you will come across a wooden bridge-like structure known as the Great Roof Ring ( Figure 1 ). It is about 20m high and surrounds the venue in a large circular shape.
Figure 1: The plaza near the entrance from the East Gate side and the large roof ring
(Source: Nikkei BP)
You can climb up to the top of the large roof ring and walk around, offering a wide view of Osaka.
When you walk halfway around the large roof ring, which is about 2km in circumference, you will see a large "Gundam" statue. This is a life-size statue about 17m tall, and is said to be a big attraction for general visitors. It is part of an exhibit by Bandai Namco Holdings.
Behind this giant Gundam, you can see the bus terminal. You can see that perovskite solar cells are attached to the curved surface of the roof ( Figure 2 ). This is an application where the thin and bendable properties of the material are of great use.
Figure 2: Bus terminal seen from above the large ring roof
(Source: Nikkei BP)
This location will likely be the best place for the general public to see what's happening on the roof.
The perovskite solar cells are installed on 250 m of the roof of the bus terminal ( Figure 3 ). Three perovskite solar cells, each 30 cm wide and manufactured by a coating process on a resin substrate, are arranged horizontally to create a panel approximately 1 m in size.
Figure 3: Sekisui Chemical's perovskite solar cells installed on the roof of a bus stop
(Source: Nikkei BP)
