Harnessing the ocean’s endless motion

First U.S. wave-produced tidal energy generator joins the grid in Hawaii

Look what just came in with the Hawaiian tide.

It’s an American first for green energy.

In mid-September, the first U.S.-based wave-produced power went online in Hawaii. This floating tidal generator, launched at the U.S. Navy’s Wave Energy Test Site at the Marine Corps base on Oahu’s Kaneohe Bay, extends 12 feet above the water’s surface and 50 feet below.

It converts the ocean’s movement into up to 18 kilowatts (kW) of electricity, with plans for a future version with an output of 500 kW.

“More power from more places translates to a more agile, more flexible, more capable force,” Joseph Bryan, deputy assistant secretary of the U.S. Navy, said during a Sept. 19 event that officially launched the Lifesaver generator. “So we’re always looking for new ways to power the mission.”

Out of geographic necessity, Hawaii draws more of its energy—about 3.6 percent—from solar power than any other U.S. state. Hawaii will draw 100 percent of its energy from renewables by 2045.

Jose Zayas is a director of the U.S. Energy Department’s Wind and Water Power Technologies Office, which helps fund the test site in Oahu.

The U.S. trails Europe in terms of marine-based energy research. Design improvements are ongoing, and harsh marine conditions require a robust solution. Still, Zayas says the U.S. could eventually see 20 to 28 percent of its energy needs met by tidal power, without interference in marine preserves and other sensitive waterways.

“When you think about all of the states that have water along their coasts . . . there’s quite a bit of wave energy potential,” he said.

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