Pupils’ green business idea wins competition

A GROUP of innovative South Wales students triumphed at a competition for budding environmental entrepreneurs held in Cardiff.

The Heads of the Valleys Cluster CRE8 event, held in collaboration with Careers Wales, Business in the Community (BITC) and Nest, saw groups from eight schools competing to market an energy efficient product of their own design.

Held at the Pierhead and Senedd buildings in Cardiff Bay, the team from Cyfarthfa High School in Merthyr Tydfil won thanks to their idea for a turbine biomass product.

The product uses waste food from commercial premises/ schools, which is collected and stored in the turbine.

As the food rots, it produces gas (methane) which is then burnt to heat water. The steam from the boiling water turns the turbine to generate electricity.

Originally, the design was conceived for individual houses, however when the team researched how much food might be needed, they realised this would not produce sufficient gas, so they up-scaled to commercial premises and schools which they felt produced a higher volume of food waste to make the invention work.

The event was the culmination of a series of Business Class competitions, aimed at improving school pupils’ understanding of the world of work and career choices.

David Hines, deputy head teacher at Cyfarthfa High School, said: “It made our pupils think about how they can play a part in preserving the planet through adopting a sustainable mindset and how their carbon footprint has an impact on the world around them.”