Barbados – September 19, 2024 – On Tuesday September 17, local deep-tech startup Rum & Sargassum unveiled a prototype of their innovative renewable natural gas (RNG), produced from Sargassum seaweed, Blackbelly sheep manure, and rum distillery wastewater. At the event, entitled “Test Drive Zero” held at Guinea Plantation, St. John, their proprietary RNG powered a generator, which in turn charged an electric vehicle. The event highlighted RNG’s potential for sustainable transportation and electricity generation. A gasoline car, upgraded to run on RNG, was also on display.
Sen. Hon. Lisa Cummins, Barbados’s Minister of Energy, spoke of the potential for this solution to transition the 150,000 internal combustion engines currently on the roads of Barbados to run on renewable energy. She also spoke about the important role of biofuels in electricity generation, noting that the electric grid is currently oversubscribed with solar power producers leading to instability.
Professor Clive Landis, Principal of the UWI Cave Hill, highlighted the significance of Rum & Sargassum’s work as the first commercialisation project of its kind emerging from the Cave Hill campus. He noted that the project has inspired other commercialisation efforts in Sargassum-based solutions.
In her remarks, Founder and CEO Dr. Legena Henry spoke of the UWI Cave Hill campus and Barbados more generally being an environment conducive to innovation. She spoke of her journey as a renewable energy lecturer first discovering the energy potential of Sargassum in the renewable energy lab in 2019, and working since then towards this landmark demonstration of the prototype.
The event attracted a diverse audience, including representatives from the Government of Barbados, academic institutions, international development agencies, and leaders in the local renewable energy space, demonstrating broad support for this pioneering solution.
The launch event was co-hosted by Rum and Sargassum Inc. and Supernova Lab of Future Barbados. Sponsors included the CCREEE, The UWI, NGC Green Company Limited, the National Petroleum Corporation (NPC), the Inter-American Development Bank, the Caribbean Climate-Smart Accelerator, TOSL Engineering Limited, and RL Mark & Company.
