As Jamaica pushes for a cleaner energy future with renewable energy, there is another often overlooked resource: bagasse, a biomass fuel derived from sugarcane waste. Once anticipated to support even the national grid, bagasse’s potential has dimmed as the country’s sugar factories scale down operations, limiting this once-promising energy source.
The 2011 “Biomass Feedstock and Cogeneration in the Sugar Industry” study, funded by Landell Mills Development Consultants and the European Union, in collaboration with the Ministry of Energy and Mining ( MEM, at that time), explored the potential of sugar factories’ ability to give energy support outside of their walls.
An article from Be Atex explains the process of bagasse generation. It says during sugarcane processing, the stalks are crushed to extract the juice, leaving behind bagasse as a by-product. The bagasse is washed to remove any remaining liquid and then dried by heating to reduce moisture.
“This combustion will emit steam and turn turbines that will produce electricity. Most of this production will supply the local electrical grid, and the rest will be conserved to meet the needs of the production plant where the combustion is performed” the article said.
The cogeneration study suggested that Jamaica’s 500-year-old sugar industry could support the national power grid by using excess bagasse as fuel. With advanced power generation, it said sugar mills could produce electricity beyond their needs and with added biomass sources, supply surplus power to the grid—advancing Jamaica’s renewable energy goals.
However, a challenge at that time was that technology did not efficiently use bagasse. Because of this, the conversion of sugarcane into energy was low, and factories often didn’t make the best use of it, the study said.
Of the seven factories highlighted in the study, only Worthy Park Sugar Factory in St. Catherine and Frome Sugar Factory in Westmoreland are operational today.
Manager at Worthy Park Sugar Factory, Mark Elliot, said that their factory continues to use bagasse as a source of energy but said he does not believe bagasse generated from either of the operational factories would be enough to contribute to the national grid.
“Worthy Park is a very small factory, but it’s quite efficient in what it does. That bagasse, however, is only used basically to keep the factory open as there is no surplus,” he said.
In a 2022 study, Sugar Annual, researcher Rasheeda Hall-Hanson highlighted challenges in Jamaica’s sugar industry, including labour shortages, high costs, and outdated equipment. She cited the updated Jamaica Country Strategy (JCS II 2016-2020), issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MOAF) in 2019, which seeks to create a sustainable, diversified, and private sector-driven sugarcane industry while supporting economic, social, and environmental resilience in Sugar Dependent Areas (SDAs).
However the industry’s limited progress in advancing the use of biomass since the 2011 study highlights that significant work still needs to be done if it is to join those making strides in renewable energy in this capacity.
Here, Utilities Engineer and Professor at The University of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr Curtis Boodoo, mentioned countries such as Belize, which he believes has a healthier sugar industry. “Belize, unlike Jamaica and Trinidad, did not in any significant way diminish their sugar industry. They have a sizeable industry, they produce quite a lot of bagasse and they use that bagasse to generate electricity,” he said.
Supporting Boodoo’s claims is a study by researchers Aldair Gongor and Dorien Villafrancoa, explaining that Belize’s sugar industry not only fuels the economy but also contributes to national energy through the use of bagasse. It says bagasse is utilized in cogeneration to supply about 15% of the country’s electricity needs, helping reduce reliance on costly imported energy from Mexico. With Belize’s energy demand increasing at a rate of 4% per year, expanding cogeneration facilities could significantly enhance energy self-sufficiency and economic resilience, the study says.
While Belize’s industry seemingly continues to thrive, Elliot of Worthy Park mentioned challenges such as old boiling equipment which is another limitation to the amount of bagasse Jamaica can produce.
Elliot also mentioned that the composition of fibre from Jamaican sugarcane is another issue. “There is a change in direction to produce cane, the fibre isn’t necessarily the same, he said, “the fibre per cent is a lot lower…it is quality but quantity is the biggest issue,” he said.
Likewise, he noted that sugarcane growth is seasonal. “So our on season like the other factory is from January to June, and then the rest of the year we are down and the cane has a one-year growing cycle,” he said.
Elliot also attributes the decline in factories to the intense competition from larger sugar markets. “It’s challenging for small islands to produce sugar at a competitive price,” he noted. “We simply can’t compete with the Brazilians and Indians of this world.”
Additionally, Boodoo believes that much focus is not on bagasse in Jamaica as there are much cheaper renewable sources. “Solar is very cheap,” he said,“the same amount of money we would spend on getting material and equipment to produce bagasse, we could use it in solar where we don’t need to source that raw material as it is there in abundance.”
He also compared the technical requirements of bagasse generation with those of solar energy. “The site where bagasse is converted to electricity may differ from where it’s produced, adding transportation costs and labour expenses…and operating a bagasse generator requires burning the material to produce electricity, which involves manual labor—unlike solar, which only needs installation to self-generate power,” he said.
While Boodoo mentioned several wins for the country in overall energy transition, he noted that there are still areas for improvement.“Jamaica started off as the leader in sustainable energy…but I’ve also seen a slowing down in its transition. I think Jamaica needs to change gears,” he said.
But Boodoo believes that there is still use for bagasse outside of Jamaican factories’ walls, and said factories would have to partner with other sectors such as tourism, and entertain more agricultural pursuits.
“Perhaps there’s an appetite for bagasse in Jamaica, and Jamaica, probably more than any other CARICOM island, is more suited to explore the use of bagasse for individual need,” he said. “Perhaps there is an option to make these sugar factories more sustainable if they can market their bagasse because currently, their only product is sugar.”
As Jamaica faces the climate crisis, the urgency for renewable energy has never been greater. While bagasse has its limitations, it remains a viable option for transitioning to more sustainable energy, offering both economic and environmental benefits for future generations.
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This story was originally published by Loop News Jamaica, with the support of Climate Tracker’s Caribbean Energy Transition Media Mentorship.
