Barbados is set to make history on Tuesday [September 17,2024] with the launch of the world’s first vehicle powered by renewable natural gas (RNG), derived from Sargassum seaweed, Blackbelly sheep manure and rum distillery wastewater.

The groundbreaking initiative comes after over a year of preparation, led by the University of the West Indies at Cave Hill researchers who extracted the biogas.

The project, spearheaded by Rum and Sargassum Incorporated and Supernova Lab of Future Barbados, has garnered more than $1 million in investments. The unveiling of Test Drive Zero is set to take place at Guinea Plantation, St John in what is being touted as a significant milestone in the island’s renewable energy efforts.

Technical advisor, Dr Heidi Jack told Barbados TODAY the key areas to be revealed at the “game-changing” RNG launch include cooking, electricity generation, a drive of an electric vehicle powered by RNG, and RNG-ready vehicle showcases.

Project founder Dr Legena Henry, a mechanical engineer and lecturer in renewable energy at UWI Cave Hill, emphasised the initiative’s potential to halve fuel prices and drastically reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

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