Centre for Alternative Technology

CAT is an education and visitor centre demonstrating practical solutions for sustainability. We cover all aspects of green living: environmental building, eco-sanitation, woodland management, renewable energy, energy efficiency and organic growing.

Our facilities

Our site is a unique and valuable practical demonstration centre, a living laboratory with an enormous range of live examples of sustainable solutions.

CAT has the largest range of installed renewable systems anywhere. These include:

• Photovoltaics
• Solar thermal
• A micro-grid
• Off-grid and grid-connected systems
• Biomass combined heat and power (CHP)
• Hydro
• Air source heat pumps
• A community heat main
• A range of small to medium wind turbines
• We also have two reed bed systems, our own off-mains water supply, and extensive organic gardens.

In our day-to-day activities we:

• Run a visitor centre which is open 7 days a week, with 7 acres of interactive displays.
• Offer a free information service answering enquiries on all aspects of sustainable living.
• Run a graduate school with a range of postgraduate degrees in environmental architecture and renewable energy.
• Run residential and one-day courses for the general public, as well as more specialised courses for builders, engineers, electricians and plumbers.
• Provide curriculum-based education to visiting schools, colleges and universities.
• Host residential education trips for schools and colleges in our unique eco-cabins.
• Carry out educational outreach work, including teacher training and school visits.
• Publish books on key environmental issues – and their solutions.
• Run a successful volunteer programmes for those that want to gain hands-on experience.
• Have a growing network of supporter members who receive our quarterly magazine and an invite to our annual conference.
• Provide an eco-shop and vegetarian restaurant on site. For those further afield, we also have a mail order service.

We also run or are involved with the following projects:

• ZeroCarbonBritain – a series of research reports addressing scenarios for reducing the UK’s emissions to zero in 20 years.
• Coed Gwern – 15 acres of sustainably managed woodland, which is home to a range of courses, as well as being monitored and managed for biodiversity.
• Dyfi Biosphere – the only UNESCO Biosphere in Wales.

To find out more why not visit our centre, or call our information service.