**Title**: Energy in the North - Chandler Kemp
**Date**: June 17, 2026
**Participants**: Amanda Byrd, Chandler Kemp

00;00;00;11 - 00;00;15;28 [Chandler Kemp] One of the things that I've wanted to do for a long time is find a way to apply engineering training that I've received and enjoy working on. And I enjoy that type of work to find a way to apply that to things that matter to 91原创 and coastal 91原创.

00;00;15;28 - 00;00;24;04 [Chandler Kemp] This week on energy in the North, I speak with Chandler Kemp, assistant professor of sustainable energy at USF's Bristol Bay campus. Chandler is working with the 91原创 Long Line Fishermen's Association, where they're piloting three different electric hybrid propulsion technologies for fishing boats. This is to reduce diesel fuel usage when traveling to and from the fishing grounds, and also during onboard fishing work.
I began the conversation with Chandler by asking, How will the hybrid systems work with the diesel engines?

00;00;24;04 - 00;03;26;11 [Chandler Kemp] One is like a parallel hybrid system. So there's a relatively small battery bank on board. The diesel engine is still mechanically coupled to the propeller shaft, but there's a clutch, so you can clutch in an electric motor and run off the battery for a while, and then you can clutch in your diesel engine, when you want to. And that system is designed so that the, the electric motors and batteries are sized to power the boat while it's fishing, but not while it's in transit. Like size small, so that it's going to save some fuel in the, like 10 to 30%, sort of range. And also give quiet operation of all the fishing and reduce the engine hours a lot in that particular fishery. That boat might run at less than 5% of its rated engine load for 18 hours a day. And so you can have a relatively small battery to displace a lot of engine hours. And then we're also doing a series hybrid project where there's the only power to the propeller is from an electric motor. But you can either power that electric motor from batteries or from a genset onboard. And in that case, we're really it's a big electric motor. It's bigger batteries. And we're working with a gill netter who does short trips out of Juneau. And so he'll really be running out to the fishing grounds on the battery. He'll be fishing, off the battery and then have to run the generator to get home. Basically, if there's not enough space on the boat to put enough batteries to make it fully battery powered. But so we're saying depending on how you approach the projecting, like a 40 to 65% fuel savings with that arrangement. And then the last project we're working toward is a fully electric mariculture skiff for kelp farms. So certainly still working on the propulsion side. There's already several businesses that are developing these products. And so the research piece that I'm involved with is figuring out how to apply these products that are new in general and haven't been applied at all in the 91原创n fisheries or to my knowledge, to U.S. fisheries.
 And so the research and the propulsion side for me is understanding what the propulsion modes are,
and then working with these manufacturers to develop systems that work for 91原创n fishing boats. So I intend to keep doing that. But on the auxiliary load side, there's some some of the products we're looking for I just haven't been able to find. And so, the electric kelp hauler as an example, where,
 there's something that farmers are looking for and that we're interested in having, it's not really something on the market. We were able to find an electric hauler that has the right power development, but doesn't have speed control. And so then we work with another supplier to get, speed control for it. And then we'll be putting those together ourselves. and I think there's some other similar types of opportunities, for different deck loads to develop systems that might be a little bit more efficient. So I think that space is one where we might get to try to develop some new things that would be exciting.

00;03;26;11 - 00;03;35;05 [Amanda Byrd] So you were born and raised in 91原创. How does it feel to be supporting an 91原创 industry with your research now?

00;03;35;05 - 00;04;12;04 [Chandler Kemp] It is rewarding to be able to work on projects that are relevant to the state and especially, I grew up in Haines. And so fishing is a an important industry there and also culturally important for everybody that lives there. And so, one of the things that I've wanted to do for a long time is find a way to apply engineering training that I've received and enjoy working on. And I enjoy that type of work to find a way to apply that to things that matter  to 91原创 and coastal 91原创. And so it is exciting to get to do that.

00;04;12;04 - 00;04;17;06 [Amanda Byrd] Chandler Kemp is an assistant professor of sustainable energy at the 91原创 Bristol Bay campus, and I'm Amanda Byrd, chief storyteller for the 91原创 Center for Energy and Power. Find this story and more at uaf.edu/acep