The US is developing technology to harness wave energy.

The first wave energy power plant is about to be commissioned in the US, opening up the prospect of providing clean energy to 50% of the US population living in coastal cities.

Azura experimental wave-powered generator. Photo: DoE

Installed off the coast of Hawaii at the Kaneohe Bay Wave Energy Test Site, this 40-ton device is the first wave-powered generator. According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE), a series of such generators will soon be installed, providing clean energy to U.S. coastal cities. With approximately 50% of the U.S. population living along the 80-kilometer coastline, the DoE assesses the project as having significant potential.

The device, designed by NWEI and named Azura, was installed 300 meters underwater last month and has a capacity of 20 kW. According to NWEI, if installed deeper, in areas with larger waves, the capacity could reach 1 MW, enough to supply hundreds of households.

Azura is designed to absorb the kinetic energy of waves in all directions. This is key to the project's success.

"Waves have both horizontal and vertical up-and-down motion, whereas most other designs can only absorb energy from one direction of motion," the DoE stated. "Azura can harness energy from 360-degree motion, resulting in significantly higher power output."

The research team plans to install a megawatt-scale system in 2017, while continuing to test Azura with support from the US Navy. Meanwhile, a similar device has also been installed off the coast of Western Australia and has been operational, connecting to the local power grid since February 2015.

According to World Ocean Review, the total global wave energy is approximately 11,400 TWh per year, and 1,700 TWh of that could be converted into electricity, meeting about 10% of the world's electricity needs.

According to VnExpress