Wave Project for Hawaii

This article, Is Wave Power in Hawaii's Future? , Jan TenBruggencate, Honolulu Advertiser (2/16/05) reports on Ocean Power Technology's pilot wave project off the coast of Hawaii:

The mast of Ocean Power Technologies' (OPT) wave power generating buoy is above the surface in Kane'ohe Bay, the working parts submerged. A power-generating buoy anchored north of Marine Corps Base Hawai'i near Kane'ohe already produced electricity — even during a period of relatively calm seas during testing in September — before being brought ashore for upgrades. The buoy, in 100 feet of water about seven-tenths of a mile north of the Mokapu Peninsula on which the Marine base lies, should be operating again in March. The test system is one of three wave generators planned off Kane'ohe in the next year or two.

The article gives more detail on the OPT project, but notes that given its small size, it is not as efficient as a larger project might be. Of course, those larger projects won't happen unless developers can deploy the first wave of smaller projects with minimal delay. So it's good to see that a first step is taking place in Hawaii.