THE POTENTIAL FOR WAVE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES   

 

Renewable energy technologies, such as solar and wind, have been advancing rapidly, but there are also promising geothermal, green hydrogen, and other technologies. Predicting the precise mix of different renewable energy sources and their share of our total USA energy production in five, ten, or twenty years is almost impossible. Much will depend on technological breakthroughs and their economic scalability.  

 

Marine hydrokinetic or wave energy is one of these renewable sources. According to estimates from the Department of Energy's Water Power Technologies Office, the total theoretical wave energy potential along the U.S. continental shelf edge is equivalent to approximately 64% of our electricity generation in 2021. Of course, that’s a theoretical maximum and far from any practical estimate of how much could be harnessed through actual wave energy recovery.

 

Wave energy technologies are in their early developmental stages with multiple questions and uncertainties. It currently appears that wave energy will have higher costs than some other renewable energy options. These technologies face design challenges to be able to withstand often harsh marine environments. More study will be required as well to understand better the environmental impacts from widespread adoption of wave energy technologies. There are also questions, and there will be costs, involving the necessary infrastructure to transmit energy generated from offshore collection points to onshore electrical grids.

 

These challenges over time for the commercialization of marine hydrokinetic energy might well be overcome because of some of its attractive advantages. One is its more predictable and steady energy production compared to wind and solar energy. Hydrokinetic approaches might have special merit for the energy needs of those located along coastal waters and on islands. This form of energy production also could potentially be integrated with other offshore renewable energy systems, such as wind farms.

 

Wave energy can be converted into electricity in different ways. Some devices float like buoys moving up and down with waves. Some are tentacle-like designs located below the water surface, and these flex due to wave action. Others channel waves into chambers where the moving water drives turbines to generate electricity.

 

There are a few significant wave energy production facilities in countries such as Spain, Portugal and the UK. These operations are mostly in the testing stages or producing at modest kilowatt production levels. Other companies with wave energy R&D activities are based in Sweden, Israel, Scotland, Finland, and Germany. The Swedish company NoviOcean has developed a hybrid energy platform, according to recent Fox News reporting. This platform combines wind, solar and wave power in a single floating structure and could conceivably deliver a megawatt of consistent clean energy around the clock.

 

Although currently there are no commercial-scale wave energy projects operating in the USA, there are various pilot and demonstration projects underway. The media source Interesting Engineering has reported that an Australian-based company called Carnegie Clean Energy received a $1.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in 2024 to test its fully submerged wave energy converter.

 

American firms are also working on kinetic wave energy options and receiving DOE encouragement and grants. Ocean Power Technologies, CalWave Power Technologies, and Oscilla Power are examples. Diverse approaches for harvesting wave energy exist among these competitors, including their operating in nearshore versus in deep-water locations.

 

More corporate and university research exploring marine hydrokinetic energy technologies has been occurring recently. Much of this R&D activity has been in locations near the western coasts of the USA and Europe, partially because of the higher wave energy potential found along these coasts.

 

The Water Power Technology Office of the DOE provides funding and support for our four national marine energy centers in the USA. These centers received $41 million in 2024, which included funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

 

Among the leading universities in wave energy research are Oregon State University, the University of Washington, and the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. These universities cooperate in the Pacific Marine Energy Center and conduct extensive research on wave energy devices and environmental impacts from these potential technologies. Florida Atlantic University hosts the Southeast National Marine Renewable Energy Center, which has more resources devoted to ocean current energy potentials than its wave energy research.

 

Although wave energy has significant potential as part of a diversified clean energy portfolio, we need to be realistic about its near-term contributions. To fulfil its promise, wave energy technologies will require continued research, development, and investment to become more commercially viable. Whether the second Trump administration encourages much further development of this cleaner energy production alternative, we can certainly expect other countries to continue to do so.