Techniquest

Techniquest set to use fish to power new £5.7m building project

April 1, 2019

You’ve heard of solar and wind power — but Wales’s leading science discovery centre is set to use fish to generate electricity for its new £5.7 million building in Cardiff.

Techniquest, which provides engaging STEM education to people across Wales, is exploring harnessing the power of fish from the adjacent bay area to help power its new Science Capital building.

The building initiative, which was approved earlier this year, will add an additional 60% of exhibition space to the Cardiff centre, including a community space, café and shop, along with a roof terrace and courtyard.

Due to the significant expansion, Techniquest has explored utilising alternative and innovative local sources for generating power, which led to the implementation of Project Scale-ectric.

The project will work by using local fish species, including Bream, Carp, and Rudd, which will be penned into a smaller area near to the discovery centre for up to an hour each day, where motion sensitive wires capture their energy and transfer it back to Techniquest.

As part of the environmentally-friendly proposals, Techniquest has worked closely with STEM, energy, and marine biology specialists across Wales to ensure that the project is both viable and safe for use in the bay.

The fish power initiative ties in with the science discovery centre’s sustainable ethos and forms part of its eco-friendly plans for the Science Capital going forwards.

Chief executive officer of Techniquest Lesley Kirkpatrick said the centre was proud to be leading the way when it comes to adopting ground-breaking new energy sources.

She said: “At Techniquest we have a proud tradition of introducing innovative new STEM-based education and ideas across Wales, and we feel that Project Scale-ectric is absolutely in keeping with this.

“This ground-breaking initiative is in keeping with our ongoing mission to become more sustainable and promote greater sustainability across Wales, so we are delighted to officially announce it.

“Thanks to the support from some of Wales’s leading experts in both the energy and marine biology fields, we will be able to generate up to 30% more energy for our expanded new building project in a clean and environmentally-friendly manner.

“We will also be launching an exhibit in the new space to explore our new energy-efficient concept, how it was created, and its wide-ranging benefits.

“We hope that this will not just be interesting but educational for thousands of people who visit us from across Wales each year.”

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  • Techniquest, Stuart Street, Cardiff, CF10 5BW

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  • info@techniquest.org
  • 029 2047 5475
    Mon–Fri: 9am–5pm Sat–Sun: 10am–5pm
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    If you leave us a message we will respond to you as quickly as we can.

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FAQs

  •   What is Techniquest?

    Techniquest is an educational charity, with a science centre in Cardiff Bay. Our mission is to embed science in Welsh culture through interactive engagement. We provide a range of services to schools and teachers to complement formal education provision in Wales and work extensively with public audiences.

  •   Where can I park?

    We are pleased to be able to offer all of our visitors discounted parking with Q-Park, our preferred parking partner.

    The Q-Park operates the Cardiff Bay car park in Pierhead Street which is around 8 minutes walk from Techniquest.

    We have agreed a special discount rate for our customers of 15% off all pre-bookings.
    Pre-book and guarantee your space here using the code TECHNI15.

    There are also nearby pay-and-display car parks on Stuart Street and Havannah Street. Please do not park on Havannah Street itself.

    We regret that there is no parking on-site at Techniquest.

  •   Who is it for?

    Techniquest is suitable for all ages! We do have special events for certain groups, however — see Toddler Days and Home Educator days.

  • I have a different question.

    Please see our dedicated FAQ page.

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