The Belize-based Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) has been awarded the 2016 Energy Globe for a project submitted on Belize.

CCCCC won from over 1,500 projects submitted from 170 countries and according to a statement issued here, the Energy Globe Award is a prestigious environmental prize worldwide.

“It distinguishes projects regionally, nationally and globally that conserve resources such as energy or utilize renewable or emission-free sources. The 2016 National Winner of the Energy Globe Award in Belize installed a mobile biogas laboratory at the University of Belize’s Belmopan Campus in order to build capacity in the biogas sector.”

The submission for the Project “Biogas Laboratory at UB” was made by Henrik Personn, the Renewable Energy Expert at the CCCCC and was designed and implemented by the regional organisation.

CCCCC said that since its installation, UB’s Faculty of Science and Technology has made strides in incorporating the Biogas Laboratory into activities that are contributing to educational activities through research and teaching.

“Currently, a collaborative effort to assess the biogas potential of several waste biomass including banana and citrus is being executed.  A student in the University’s Bachelors of Biology Programme recently conducted thesis work in the lab and presented his findings at the UB Biology and Chemistry Symposium held in May 2016.”

The regional organisation said that the University is also actively engaging stakeholders to determine how the biogas lab can contribute to solving some environmental concerns.

“To achieve those goals, the University is seeking partnerships that can help support the initiatives of the Lab. Therefore, the Laboratory is exploring the possibility of expanding its research capacity through participation in the Red Mesoamericana de Investigacion y  Desarrollo de Biocombustibles (RMIDB) and will be submitting a proposal for funding consideration from the network.”