Renewable energy for new educational institute

New photovoltaic roof will generate electricity for the new Wales Institute of Sustainable Education (WISE).

WISE - leaving fossil fuels for the energy dinosaurs! Renewable energy plan for new educational institute Even in the hills of Mid Wales, solar power makes sense.

At the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) in Machynlleth, builders and engineers have started work on a new solar roof, part of a new range of renewable energy technologies to be showcased on a brand-new educational institute.

The new photovoltaic (PV) roof will generate electricity for the GBP6.2million Wales Institute of Sustainable Education (WISE).

WISE is CAT's biggest ever project - a mini-university teaching all kinds of environmental courses, a conference venue and an educational building for school groups.

The new 6kW, 60m2 PV array will sit alongside the existing 13.5kW roof on CAT's main office building.

Engineers will also refurbish the older array, which first starting generating clean electricity in 1997.

When built, it was an innovative attempt to cut the cost of the roof by completely replacing tiles with the PV modules.

"We are always trying new things here at CAT," Project Manager Phil Horton said.

"With the new roof, the panels will incorporate individual modules set in glass, allowing light to pass through to the children's play area below".

"PV panels work best when kept cool, so we are planning to leave gaps between the panels and the roof".

"Archways in the stone walls underneath will create stack-effect ventilation".

Other renewable energy generating devices on the WISE building will include 70m2 of evacuated tubes for solar water heating, and a massive woodchip-fired combined heat and power (CHP) plant.

This will provide 250kW of heat for the whole site, and 100kW of electricity (CAT will sell the excess back to the Grid).

Not only is wood fuel almost 'carbon neutral,' but CHP plants are also very efficient as they make use of the heat which is often wasted in conventional electricity generation.

Of course, efficiency is better than generation, and the project has this covered.

WISE will be built from the least energy intensive materials possible, including hemp, limecrete (instead of concrete where possible) and local timber.

A circular, 200-seat lecture theatre will be constructed from rammed earth - at 7.2m, these will be the highest earth walls in the UK.

Back to top