Center for Alternative Technology

Center for Alternative Technology
founding	1st January 1973
founder	Gerard Morgan-Grenville
Seat	Powys, Wales ( ⊙ coordinates: 52 ° 37 ′ 20.9 ″  N , 3 ° 50 ′ 29.6 ″  W )
main emphasis	Sustainability , technology
method	Research and application of alternative economics
Website	cat.org.uk

The Center for Alternative Technology (CAT) ( Canolfan y Dechnoleg Amgen in Welsh ) is an eco- center in Powys , central Wales , dedicated to demonstrating and teaching sustainable development . Despite its name, CAT no longer focuses exclusively on alternative technology, but provides information on all aspects of sustainable living. It is accessible to visitors, offers postgraduate degrees as well as shorter residential and day courses, and publishes information on renewable energies , sustainable building , ecological agriculture , gardening and sustainable living. CAT also runs educational programs for schools and sells eco-friendly products through its on-site store, restaurant and mail order division.

history

Forecourt and ticket sales for the center

CAT was founded by entrepreneur Gerard Morgan-Grenville and opened in 1973 in the disused Llwyngwern slate quarry near Machynlleth (once served by the narrow-gauge Corris Railway ), where it is located on 2.8 hectares (28,000 m²). The organization was originally known as the National Center for Alternative Technology.

The CAT was previously aligned with the Urban Center for Appropriate Technology (UCAT), which was based in Bristol and has since become the center for sustainable energy.

Visitor center

In 1975 a permanent exhibition was opened to spark interest. The approximately 160,000 m² facility with around 28,000 m² of interactive displays is the largest tourist attraction in the region. It is open all year round, except for Christmas, seven days a week. It is a registered charity .

The facilities and exhibits include:

• the CAT water ballast railway, the center for alternative technology railways
• Solar , hydropower and wind energy
• A low energy house.
• a local power grid that is supplied by renewable energies
• Examples of organic horticulture methods
• a hydraulic ram pump
• Bales of straw and rammed earth buildings
• Britain's largest green bookstore
• Vegetarian / vegan restaurant
• Events, activities and courses take place throughout the year and are advertised on the website as well as on Facebook and Twitter

education

The center offers a range of courses that last anywhere from a day to a week. Some of these courses are offered to the public; others are recognized courses for professional craftsmen. CAT is involved in school education through teacher training, produces materials, and offers special tours and on-site materials.

The center includes a university for the environment. It offers postgraduate courses in the fields of renewable energies, architecture and environmental sciences.

Since 2008, the center has been running a course on architecture entitled Advanced Environmental and Energy Studies , which enables students to acquire an academically recognized subject qualification Part II.

Wales Institute for Sustainable Education

In the summer of 2010, CAT opened the Wales Institute for Sustainable Education (WISE), a large school building designed as a case study of sustainable architecture . The building includes a lecture hall and accommodation and demonstrates ecological construction principles such as solar architecture and heat recovery as well as low-emission building materials such as wood , hemp , lime and rammed earth . The outer walls of the building consist of 500 mm thick concrete hemp, while the auditorium 7.2 m high walls 320 t rammed has.

A building management system is used to monitor a large number of parameters within the building and to provide data for research projects by CAT students on sustainable architecture. The building is used for teaching postgraduate courses and short courses and is also available as a conference location and exhibition space.

In 2010, the WISE building was awarded first place in the list of Top 10 Buildings in 2010 the Daily Telegraph and has been prepared by The Guardian fourth in the top 10 included list of buildings in 2010. It received a Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) award in 2011.

energy

The CAT itself originally relied on the collection of hydro, wind and solar energy, but after blackouts it began to draw electricity from the UK's national electricity grid. Shortly thereafter, in 2004, a large new wind turbine was built from funds generated by the sale of project shares to the community, Bro Dyfi Community Renewables . From September 2009, CAT operates a stand-alone grid system that combines elements of on- and off-grid operation involves.

The CAT draws its water from an existing artificial reservoir in the slate quarry and treats its own wastewater in its herbal sewage treatment plant .

Regional importance

The centre's presence in the Dyfi Valley has given the area, which is now a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve , of greater ecological importance. In the next town of Machynlleth , CAT plc used to run a full-fledged vegetarian café and a separate shop. After the closure of CAT plc, the charity CAT retained ownership of the vegetarian café but subsequently sold it to its employees. The café is now a private company, but continues to operate as a vegetarian café. The health food store was closed because the building was not owned by CAT; however, a new health food store, Dyfi Whole Foods, was opened by the staff who were laid off. In an industrial area (Dyfi Eco Park) near Machynlleth train station are the offices of Dulas Ltd, a renewable energy company founded by former CAT employees.

Web links

• CAT home page
• CAT's Graduate School of the Environment
• CAT's programs of short courses
• Patrick Sykes: The Center for Alternative Technology (= The Reunion series ). In: BBC . April 28, 2013 (radio feature; English; 45:00 min.)

Individual evidence

1. ^ Center for Sustainable Energy.
2. ↑ 265239 - Center for Alternative Technology Litmited. In: charitycommission.gov.uk , December 11, 2019, accessed on December 15, 2019.
3. ↑ CAT Short Courses. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on March 3, 2011 ; Retrieved February 15, 2011 . 
4. ^ CAT Education Department. Retrieved February 15, 2011 . 
5. ^ Graduate School of the Environment. Retrieved November 8, 2013 . 
6. ^ Center for Alternative Technology (CAT), Machynlleth, Wales; Professional Diploma in Architecture Part II: Advanced Environmental and Energy Studies. In: The Architects' Journal. December 2010, accessed November 13, 2011.
7. ^ Venue Hire at CAT. Retrieved February 15, 2011 . 
8. ^ The WISE Building. In: cat.org.uk. Retrieved February 15, 2011 (CAT Information Service: The Wales Institute for Sustainable Education). 
9. ↑ Ellis Woodman: The Daily Telegraph: Top 10 Buildings of 2010. December 14, 2010, accessed February 15, 2011 . 
10. ^ Rowan Moore: The best architecture of 2010. In: The Guardian. December 12, 2010, accessed February 15, 2011 . 
11. ^ Jonathan Glancey: RIBA awards offer a bird's eye view of British architecture. In: The Guardian. May 19, 2011, accessed November 13, 2011.
12. ^ The Ecologist: First island power grid being used in Wales. Retrieved February 15, 2011 . 
13. ↑ J. Kuriakose: microgrid research at Center for Alternative Technology . IEEE, 2011, doi : 10.1109 / ISGTEurope.2011.6162725 .
14. ↑ Dyfi Valley awarded unique UN status. (No longer available online.) UK National Commission for UNESCO, archived from the original on July 7, 2011 ; accessed on September 15, 2014 .