United States Navy tests first wave energy station in Hawaii
The US Navy has established a test site in Hawaii to test the country's first wave-energy produced electricity. The Wind and Water Power Technologies Office at the US Energy Department estimates that the US could get 20-28% of the country's energy needs from waves. However, it could take five to 10 years to develop the technology before wave energy provides an affordable alternative to fossil fuels; currently, the technology is at the same stage as the solar and wind industries were in the 1980s.

KANEOHE BAY, Hawaii — Off the coast of Hawaii, a tall buoy bobs and sways in the water, using the rise and fall of the waves to generate electricity.

The current travels through an undersea cable for a mile to a military base, where it feeds into Oahu’s power grid — the first wave-produced electricity to go online in the U.S.

By some estimates, the ocean’s endless motion packs enough power to meet a quarter of America’s energy needs and dramatically reduce the nation’s reliance on oil, gas and coal. But wave energy technology lags well behind wind and solar power, with important technical hurdles still to be overcome.

To that end, the Navy has established a test site in Hawaii, with hopes the technology can someday be used to produce clean, renewable power for offshore fueling stations for the fleet and provide electricity to coastal communities in fuel-starved places around the world.

“More power from more places translates to a more agile, more flexible, more capable force,” Joseph Bryan, deputy assistant secretary of the Navy, said. “So we’re always looking for new ways to power the mission.”