A vital step in a “truly game-changing expansion” at a popular science centre in Wrexham has been completed, with the activity also reducing its carbon footprint by more than 20 tonnes per annum.
Xplore! Science Discovery Centre has ambitious plans to redevelop its first floor space and make a lasting impact for communities in the region.
As part of this, the charity has installed more than 200 solar panels as well as insulation and carried out works on the roof of its city centre base to make it watertight.
Making the space habitable and decreasing energy usage and bills was a key hurdle in moving to the next stage of its expansion, which could welcome everything from a state-of-the-art planetarium to a dedicated under-7s play area, as well as conferencing facilities.
The 262 solar panels and improved insulation is expected to save Xplore! up to 22 tonnes of CO2 a year, with the centre running on 100 per cent of its own renewable electricity in the summer, with any excess provided to the grid for distribution to local homes and businesses.
Xplore!’s business development officer Katie Williams said: “We play an active role in educating and changing behaviours when it comes to looking after our planet, and it’s important our actions align with our words.
“It’s really exciting that we can now press on with securing the necessary funding to realise our goals of a truly game-changing expansion that will allow Xplore! to have an even bigger and wider impact on people’s engagement with STEM.
“In addition, energy bills contribute a large amount to the £800,000 it takes to run the centre each year, so reducing this number will be critical in adhering to a sustainable business model.”
Xplore!, based on Henblas Street, is a subsidiary of Wrexham University and was able to access the expertise of its capital projects manager Paul Moran to handle the complex install.
Paul said: “It was a big scheme, in a tight, land-locked site in the city centre. Next door there was also another live site and, of course, we had lots of children and families visiting the centre.
“All partners worked closely together to ensure disruption was kept to a minimum while delivering a high-quality finish for Xplore!.
“Interestingly, we are also investigating how we might introduce an interpretation panel to show visitors how solar panels work, with real-time data from our system.”
Alumasc supplied the roof covering, Mold-based Cassidy and Ashton was the architectural and design consultancy, and Anglesey-headquartered OBR Construction installed the solar panels.
The building improvements have been made possible through the UK Government Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).
