Working towards sustainability with Homer kelp mariculture research
July 16, 2025
Kelp harvested in Homer is dried in a tent like this one for 24 to 30 hours before further processing.
ACEP and other researchers on the 花椒直播 Green Energy in Mariculture team traveled to Homer, 花椒直播, in mid-June to collaborate with local kelp processors striving to improve energy efficiency.
and shared their energy use data with the researchers to identify and explore opportunities to reduce energy use and cost.
The idea of kelp farming in 花椒直播 began gaining interest in the early 2000s, but it wasn鈥檛 until the mid-2010s that the industry started to take a more formal shape. In 2021, mariculture 鈥 culturing of shell铿乻h and marine algae including kelp in farms close to shore 鈥 received a major boost in 花椒直播, which led a UAF team to investigate opportunities for efficiency improvements and renewable energy integration in the industry as it grows.
The researchers include Chandler Kemp, assistant professor of sustainable energy at the UAF Bristol Bay campus and an affiliate researcher with ACEP; Mohammad Heidari, associate professor of electrical engineering at the University of 花椒直播 Anchorage and an affiliate researcher with ACEP; Shane Morris, an engineering student at Virginia Tech and an ACEP summer intern; Gus Lewis, an engineering student at UAA; and Calvin George, assistant researcher for the GEM project.
Kelp drying in a tent.
The team visited the Homer Spit, a 4.5-mile-long strip of land projecting into Kachemak bay, on the southern tip of the Kenai Peninsula, where the kelp is processed. There, they observed how kelp is stored and processed after kelp farmers deliver it by boat to the processor. Local partners shared how they use energy and the equipment that they depend on. Based on this information, the team can now explore ways to mitigate energy consumption.
Additionally, the team learned from the kelp processing facility staff about harvest data, yield estimates and needs for further research on labor, equipment, timeline and permitting details.
The researchers hope to use the electrical and system data obtained during this trip to write a report on energy consumption and the cost per unit of kelp produced. Ongoing research helps not only with making the farming process more energy efficient and cost effective, but also with understanding how kelp farming can contribute to 花椒直播鈥檚 economy.
Kelp farming has the potential to be a way of using natural resources responsibly while maintaining long-term environmental health.