Hawaii Wave Device Turns Ocean Motion Into Clean Power

Off the coast of Oahu, a device the size of a big-screen TV is doing something remarkable: turning the endless rhythm of ocean waves into usable electricity.

The SURF-WEC (Small Underwater Research Flap Wave Energy Converter) recently made its debut in open water after two years of lab testing. Anchored just offshore at Makai Research Pier, the device works like a door swinging on its hinges, oscillating back and forth with each passing wave.

That simple motion drives a hydraulic system that pumps fluid through sealed tubes, building pressure until it spins a motor connected to a generator. The result? Clean electricity from one of Earth's most reliable energy sources.

National Laboratory of the Rockies partnered with the University of Hawaii to make it happen. The collaboration combined NLR's expertise in power engineering with Hawaii's deep knowledge of ocean deployment, proving that different skills make breakthrough projects possible.

What makes SURF-WEC special isn't just what it does, but what it shares. The marine energy industry has struggled for years with a critical problem: not enough real-world data. Most wave energy devices never leave the lab, and those that do rarely share their findings publicly.

"The marine energy community is so data starved," said NLR researcher Bri Friedman. "There's just so few deployments that have occurred."

SURF-WEC changes that equation. Every measurement, every lesson learned, and even the device's design will be freely available to researchers and companies worldwide.

The Ripple Effect

The device also offers something unprecedented: flexibility. From his desk in Colorado, Friedman can switch SURF-WEC between passive mode (harvesting energy without adaptation) and active mode (adjusting to wave conditions in real time).

This matters because active systems theoretically capture more energy, but they also consume power running their sensors and controls. Testing both approaches in actual ocean conditions will finally answer which works better in the real world, not just in computer models.

Before reaching Hawaii, the system underwent rigorous testing at NLR's Colorado facility. Researchers used an electric actuator to mimic ocean waves, stress-testing every component under extreme conditions. They developed custom monitoring software called MODAQ 2.0 to track performance and control operations remotely.

The open-ocean deployment represents years of modeling, building, and validating compressed into a critical milestone. After shipping to Hawaii and assembly on campus, the team transported SURF-WEC to the pier for its ocean debut.

Hours after deployment, the device began capturing wave energy. The data flowing back to researchers could help close knowledge gaps that have held marine energy back for decades, bringing the industry closer to commercial viability.

Ocean waves represent an enormous untapped energy source—reliable, predictable, and endlessly renewable—and small devices like SURF-WEC are lighting the path forward.