The Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) () is an eco-centre in

Montgomeryshire Montgomeryshire ( ) was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It was named after its county town, Montgomery, Powys, Montgomery, which in turn was named after ...

Powys Powys ( , ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county and Preserved counties of Wales, preserved county in Wales. It borders Gwynedd, Denbighshire, and Wrexham County Borough, Wrexham to the north; the English Ceremonial counties of England, ceremo ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

dedicated to demonstrating and teaching

sustainable development Sustainable development is an approach to growth and Human development (economics), human development that aims to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.United Nations General ...

. CAT, despite its name, no longer concentrates its efforts exclusively on alternative technology, but provides information on all aspects of

sustainable living Sustainable living describes a lifestyle (sociology), lifestyle that attempts to reduce the use of Earth's natural resources by an individual or society. Its practitioners often attempt to reduce their ecological footprint (including their carbo ...

. It is open to visitors, offers postgraduate degrees as well as shorter residential and one day courses, and publishes information on

renewable energy Renewable energy (also called green energy) is energy made from renewable resource, renewable natural resources that are replenished on a human lifetime, human timescale. The most widely used renewable energy types are solar energy, wind pow ...

sustainable architecture Sustainable architecture is architecture that seeks to minimize the negative environmental impact of buildings through improved efficiency and moderation in the use of materials, energy, development space and the ecosystem at large. Sometimes, su ...

organic farming Organic farming, also known as organic agriculture or ecological farming or biological farming,Labelling, article 30 o''Regulation (EU) 2018/848 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2024 on organic production and labelling of ...

, gardening, and sustainable living. CAT also runs education programmes for schools and sells environmentally friendly items through its on-site shop, restaurant and mail order department.

History

CAT was founded by businessman-turned-environmentalist Gerard Morgan-Grenville, and opened in 1973 in the disused Llwyngwern

slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous, metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade, regional metamorphism. It is the finest-grained foliated metamorphic ro ...

quarry A quarry is a type of open-pit mining, open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock (geology), rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some juri ...

near

Machynlleth Machynlleth () is a market town, community and electoral ward in Powys, Wales and within the historic boundaries of Montgomeryshire. It is in the Dyfi Valley at the intersection of the A487 and the A489 roads. At the 2001 Census it had a po ...

(once served by the narrow-gauge Corris Railway), where it occupies a seven-acre (28,000 m²) site. The organisation was originally known as the "National Centre for Alternative Technology". Inspiration for the early CAT pioneers included the then-recent books ''

Small Is Beautiful ''Small Is Beautiful: A Study of Economics As If People Mattered'' is a collection of essays published in 1973 by German-born British economist E. F. Schumacher. The title "Small Is Beautiful" came from a principle espoused by Schumache ...

'', ''

A Blueprint for Survival ''A Blueprint for Survival'' was an influential environmentalist text that drew attention to the urgency and magnitude of environmental problems. First published as a special edition of '' The Ecologist'' in January 1972, it was later published in ...

'', and ''

The Limits to Growth ''The Limits to Growth'' (''LTG'') is a 1972 report that discussed the possibility of exponential Economic growth, economic and population growth with finite supply of resources, studied by computer simulation. The study used the World3 computer ...

'' as well as an aim to explore alternative ways of living. CAT was previously aligned to the Urban Centre for Appropriate Technology (UCAT), which was based in

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

and has since evolved into the Centre for Sustainable Energy. David Lea and Pat Borer won the Gold Medal for Architecture at the

National Eisteddfod of Wales The National Eisteddfod of Wales ( Welsh: ') is the largest of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales. Its eight days of competitions and performances are considered the largest music and poetry festival in Europe. Competito ...

of 2001 for their work on the AtEIC building at the CAT, and an RIBA Regional Award for the WISE building in 2011.

Visitor centre

In 1975 a permanent exhibition opened in order to generate wider interest. The site with of interactive displays is the largest tourist attraction in the area. It is a

registered charity A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, Religion, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definitio ...

. The facilities and exhibits include: *the water-balanced CAT

funicular A funicular ( ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep grade (slope), slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to ...

, the Centre for Alternative Technology Railway *

solar Solar may refer to: Astronomy * Of or relating to the Sun ** Solar telescope, a special purpose telescope used to observe the Sun ** A device that utilizes solar energy (e.g. "solar panels") ** Solar calendar, a calendar whose dates indicate t ...

hydropower Hydropower (from Ancient Greek -, "water"), also known as water power or water energy, is the use of falling or fast-running water to Electricity generation, produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by energy transformation, ...

and

wind power Wind power is the use of wind energy to generate useful work. Historically, wind power was used by sails, windmills and windpumps, but today it is mostly used to generate electricity. This article deals only with wind power for electricity ge ...

low-energy house A low-energy house is characterized by an energy-efficient design and technical features which enable it to provide high living standards and comfort with low energy consumption and carbon emissions. Traditional heating and active cooling systems ...

*a site-wide electricity grid powered by

*displays of

organic gardening Organic horticulture is the science and art of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, or ornamental plants by following the essential principles of organic agriculture in soil building and conservation, pest management, and heirloom variety pres ...

methods *a

hydraulic ram A hydraulic ram pump, ram pump, or hydram is a cyclic pump, cyclic water pump powered by hydropower. It takes in water at one "hydraulic head" (pressure) and flow rate, and outputs water at a higher hydraulic head and lower flow rate. The device ...

pump * strawbale and

rammed earth Rammed earth is a technique for construction, constructing foundations, floors, and walls using compacted natural raw materials such as soil, earth, chalk, Lime (material), lime, or gravel. It is an ancient method that has been revived recently ...

buildings * Britain's largest green bookshop * Vegetarian/vegan restaurant * Events, activities and courses that take place throughout the year In 2023, the CAT announced that financial pressures had forced it to stop admitting walk-up day visitors, although it would continue to hold group visits and other events and courses.

Education

The centre offers a range of short courses which are between a day and a week in length. Some of these courses are offered to the general public while others are accredited courses for professionals. CAT is involved with school education through training teachers, producing materials and offering special tours and materials on site. The Centre includes a Graduate School of the Environment. It offers postgraduate courses in renewable energy, architecture and environmental studies. Since 2008, the centre has run a Professional Diploma in Architecture course in ''Advanced Environmental and Energy Studies'', which allows students to obtain an accredited Part II architectural qualification.

Wales Institute for Sustainable Education

In summer 2010, CAT inaugurated the Wales Institute for Sustainable Education (WISE), a large educational building designed as a case study of

. The building contains a lecture theatre and accommodation and demonstrates ecological building principles such as

passive solar building design In passive solar building design, windows, walls, and floors are made to collect, store, reflect, and distribute solar energy, in the form of heat in the winter and reject solar heat in the summer. This is called passive solar design because, unli ...

and

heat recovery ventilation Heat recovery ventilation (HRV), also known as mechanical ventilation heat recovery (MVHR) is a ventilation system that recovers energy by operating between two air sources at different temperatures. It is used to reduce the heating and cooling ...

as well as low-impact building materials such as

wood Wood is a structural tissue/material found as xylem in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulosic fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin t ...

hemp Hemp, or industrial hemp, is a plant in the botanical class of ''Cannabis sativa'' cultivars grown specifically for industrial and consumable use. It can be used to make a wide range of products. Along with bamboo, hemp is among the fastest ...

, lime and

. The external walls of the building are made from 500mm thick hempcrete, whereas the lecture theatre has 7.2m high walls made from 320t of

. A building management system is used to monitor a wide variety of parameters inside the building, providing data for research projects by CAT's sustainable architecture students. The building is used for teaching postgraduate degrees and short courses and is also available as a conference venue and exhibition space. In 2010 the WISE building was awarded the first place in ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

s list of ''Top 10 Buildings 2010'' and came fourth in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' ''Top 10'' list of buildings for 2010. It received a Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Award in 2011.Jonathan Glance
''RIBA awards offer a bird's eye view of British architecture''
The Guardian, 19 May 2011. Retrieved 2011-11-13.

Energy

CAT originally relied on a collection of water, wind and solar power, but following power shortages it began to receive power from the National Grid. Shortly afterwards, in 2004, a large new

wind turbine A wind turbine is a device that wind power, converts the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. , hundreds of thousands of list of most powerful wind turbines, large turbines, in installations known as wind farms, were generating over ...

was built using funds generated by selling shares in the project to the community, Bro Dyfi Community renewables. From 2009 September onwards CAT has operated a

microgrid A microgrid is a local electrical grid with defined electrical boundaries, acting as a single and controllable entity. It is able to operate in grid-connected and off-grid modes.

system, which includes elements of on- and off-grid operation. CAT gets its water from an existing man-made reservoir in the slate quarry in which it is based and processes its own sewage in its reedbeds.

Regional impact

The presence of the Centre in the Dyfi Valley has brought an increased environmental emphasis to the area, which is now designated as a UNESCO

Biosphere Reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

. In the nearest town,

, CAT plc formerly operated a wholefood vegetarian café and a separate shop. Following the closure of CAT plc the CAT charity retained ownership of the vegetarian cafe but subsequently sold it to its workers. The cafe is now run as a private enterprise but continues to operate as a vegetarian cafe. The wholefood shop was closed, since the building was not owned by CAT. However a new wholefood shop, Dyfi Wholefoods, was opened by the staff who were made redundant. An industrial estate (the Dyfi Eco Park) near Machynlleth railway station houses the offices of Dulas Ltd, a renewable-energy company founded by ex-CAT employees.

References

External links

*
CAT's Zero Carbon Britain project
{{Coord, 52, 37, 20.86, N, 3, 50, 29.55, W, region:GB, display=title 1973 establishments in Wales Appropriate technology organizations Architecture schools in Wales Buildings and structures in Powys Charities based in Wales Conservation in Wales Energy conservation in the United Kingdom Environmental technology Low-energy building Organic gardening Permaculture organizations Education in Powys Renewable energy organizations Sustainable design Sustainable technologies Sustainability in the United Kingdom Horticultural organisations based in the United Kingdom Machynlleth Welsh Eisteddfod Gold Medal winners