Green Energy in Mariculture

Interested in receiving a stipend to participate in our mariculture study?

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Kristian Nudlash-Barger records fuel use patterns while Angie Bowers cuts kelp at an experimental site near Sitka while testing data logging equipment in 2023.
UAF Bristol Bay Campus
Kristian Nudlash-Barger records fuel use patterns while Angie Bowers cuts kelp at an experimental site near Sitka while testing data logging equipment in 2023.

The Green Energy in Mariculture (GEM) project aims to help farmers and processors maximize energy

efficiency and renewable energy while minimizing dependence on fossil fuels. The project has three phases: a baseline study to quantify current energy use patterns, a green energy plan to guide investment as the industry grows, and a best practices guide for future energy audits and efficiency work. GEM will develop the baseline energy use profile by working with farmers and processors to measure energy use and determining patterns and trends in energy use. Farmers and processors that participate in the project will receive a stipend as well as a report specific to their operation.

The green energy plan will complement the regional energy planning already completed or  underway by state agencies and tribes by focusing on the rising mariculture industry. In addition to the data collected in the baseline study, the plan will utilize results from the Joint Innovation Projects currently supported by the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation to identify the best opportunities to reduce emissions associated with the industry. The GEM plan will be a repository of information regarding green energy use in mariculture and explain the investments in infrastructure, equipment and training that will be necessary to achieve green energy goals. The best practices guide will support ongoing efficiency and renewable energy work after the GEM project completes. 

Fuel use as a function of speed over ground and vessel load measured during sea trials with a skiff used in oyster farming operations during 2023.
UAF Bristol Bay Campus
Fuel use as a function of speed over ground and vessel load measured during sea trials with a skiff used in oyster farming operations during 2023.

The guide will provide appropriate methods and assumptions to use in future energy audits in order to facilitate fair access to renewable energy projects. The guide will also summarize the impact of appropriate renewable energy and energy efficiency measures.

The Alaska mariculture industry is poised for rapid growth driven by the innovative people developing farms and processing facilities throughout the state. We hope that GEM will serve as a repository for

information about the work conducted around the industry to achieve sustainability goals. By dedicating researchers’ time to compiling that information and quantifying the impact of energy efficiency and ren ewable energy options, GEM will ensure that the most impactful methods of reducing emissions are communicated broadly and accurately valued.

 

 

 

 


Project Team

Chandler Kemp

Meilani Schijvens

Devon Kibby

Linda Behnken

Erik O’Brien

Angela Bowers

Mohammad Heidari

Calvin George