WHEN IT COMES TO RENEWABLE

ENERGY IN THE UNITED STATES,

HAWAII IS A LEADER: 15% OF THE

POWER THERE COMES FROM SOLAR

AND WIND.

AND RESEARCHERS ON THE ISLAND OF

OAHU ARE NOW WORKING ON TURNING

THE POWER OF OCEAN WAVES INTO A

NATURAL, CLEAN ENERGY SOURCE.

IN TONIGHT'S SIGNATURE SEGMENT,

I TRAVELED TO HAWAII TO SEE HOW

IT MIGHT WORK.

THIS STORY IS PART OF OUR

ONGOING SERIES, "PERIL AND

PROMISE-- THE CHALLENGE OF

CLIMATE CHANGE."

>> Reporter: THE EAST COAST OF

THE HAWAIIAN ISLAND OF OAHU IS

KNOWN FOR ITS BREATHTAKING

BEACHES AND OCEAN VISTAS.

BUT THESE BEAUTIFUL WATERS

AREN'T JUST A DRAW FOR SURFERS

AND TOURISTS.

THEY ARE ALSO A POTENTIAL,

UNTAPPED SOURCE OF RENEWABLE

ENERGY-- POWER GENERATED FROM

WAVES.

WHAT'S THE POTENTIAL FOR WAVE

ENERGY?

>> IT'S HUGE.

THE RESOURCE AROUND THE WORLD IS

ENORMOUS.

>> Reporter: PAT CROSS IS AN

OCEANOGRAPHER WITH A PhD IN

METEOROLOGY WHO MANAGES THE WAVE

ENERGY TESTING SITE OFF THE

MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII.

IT'S ONE OF ONLY A FEW PLACES IN

THE WORLD TESTING OUT DIFFERENT

TECHNOLOGIES TO HARNESS ENERGY

FROM WAVES.

>> THE HARD PART IS JUST HOW YOU

CAPTURE IT IN A RELIABLE AND

COMMERCIALLY VIABLE WAY.

THE RESOURCE IS HUGE, BUT THE

CHALLENGE IS GREAT TO CAPTURE

IT.

>> Reporter: SO FAR, NO WAVE

ENERGY DEVELOPERS HAVE FIGURED

THAT OUT, AND THAT'S WHERE THIS

TESTING SITE COMES IN-- IT'S A

JOINT VENTURE BY PRIVATE

BUSINESS, THE MILITARY, THE

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY, AND THE

HAWAII NATURAL ENERGY INSTITUTE

AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII,

WHERE PAT CROSS WORKS.

>> PEOPLE ARE TRYING VERY

DIFFERENT CONCEPTS ABOUT HOW

BEST TO CAPTURE THE ENERGY

THAT'S PACKED INTO THOSE WAVES.

SO ONE WAVE ENERGY DEVICE LOOKS

VERY DIFFERENT FROM THE NEXT

RIGHT NOW.

AND IT REMAINS TO BE SEEN KIND

OF WHAT THE WINNERS WILL BE.

>> Reporter: WAVE ENERGY IS

DIFFERENT FROM TIDAL ENERGY,

WHICH HARNESSES POWER FROM THE

PUSH AND PULL OF TIDES WITH

DEVICES USUALLY LOCATED

UNDERWATER, AND IS ALREADY

DEPLOYED IN A HANDFUL OF PLACES

AROUND THE WORLD.

THE WAVE DEVICES TESTED HERE SIT

MOSTLY ON TOP OF THE WATER.

ONE LOOKS DIFFERENT FROM THE

NEXT, BUT THEY ALL USE THE

MOVEMENT OF WAVES TO TURN A

TURBINE, WINCH, OR HYDRAULIC

SYSTEM TO GENERATE POWER.

ONE DEVICE TESTED FOR A YEAR AND

A HALF IS CALLED "THE AZURA."

>> AZURA EXTRACTS ENERGY FROM

BOTH THE HEAVE AND SURGE MOTION

OF THE WAVE.

>> Reporter: IT'S DESIGNED BY A

COMPANY CALLED AZURA WAVE ENERGY

BASED IN PORTLAND, OREGON.

THE STEEL DEVICE WEIGHS ABOUT 45

TONS AND IS THE LENGTH OF A

FLATBED TRUCK.

AS THE DEVICE ROCKS BACK AND

FORTH AND UP AND DOWN IN THE

WATER, A FLOAT IN THE MIDDLE

BOBS AND ROTATES.

>> AS IT DOES THAT, IT PUSHES

HYDRAULICS THAT RUNS A MOTOR AND

MAKES ELECTRICITY.

>> Reporter: LAST SPRING THE

AZURA WAS LIFTED OUT OF THE

WATER FOR CLEANING AND

MODIFICATION.

AFTER OBSERVING HOW IT PERFORMED

AT THE TEST SITE, RESEARCHERS

ADDED A LARGER FLOAT TO THE

MIDDLE TO TRY TO GENERATE EVEN

MORE POWER.

>> SO THIS IS ANOTHER WAVE

ENERGY CONVERSION DEVICE.

>> Reporter: PAT CROSS SHOWED US

THE SECOND DEVICE TESTED SO FAR,

NAMED THE "LIFESAVER," BECAUSE

OF ITS SHAPE.

IT WAS DEVELOPED BY A NORWEGIAN

COMPANY CALLED FRED OLSEN.

>> YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED THAT IT

LOOKS NOTHING LIKE THE OTHER

WAVE ENERGY CONVERTER THAT WE

SAW.

AND IT WORKS IN A VERY DIFFERENT

WAY.

>> Reporter: THE DEVICE IS

CONNECTED TO THE OCEAN FLOOR

WITH 200-FOOT CABLES.

THE CABLES ARE COILED AROUND

THREE WINCHES, LIKE PULLEYS, ON

THE TOP OF THE DEVICE.

>> AND SO AS THE AS THE WAVE

DEVICE ROCKS IN THE WAVES, THOSE

TAUT CONNECTIONS CAUSE THE

WINCHES TO TURN.

SO AND YOU'RE DOING THAT IN

THREE POINTS AROUND THE DEVICE.

>> Reporter: THE LIFESAVER CAME

TO SHORE LAST SPRING AT THE

PEARL HARBOR NAVY BASE SO

RESEARCHERS COULD MAKE

ADJUSTMENTS TO THE UNDERSEA

CABLES AND POWER CONNECTIONS.

THE U.S. NAVY AND THE FEDERAL

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ARE FUNDING

THE TESTING.

KAIL MACIAS IS THE TECHNICAL

DIRECTOR AT THE NAVAL FACILITIES

ENGINEERING AND EXPEDITIONARY

WARFARE CENTER.

HE SAYS THE DEPARTMENT OF

DEFENSE HOPES WAVE ENERGY MIGHT

ONE DAY PROVIDE POWER TO SHIPS

AT SEA OR BASES ON REMOTE

ISLANDS.

>> IT'S ALL ABOUT ENERGY

SECURITY.

REALLY CRITICAL FOR US.

WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE LOGISTICAL

CONSTRAINTS OF WHAT IT TAKES TO

PROVIDE ENERGY AS FAR FORWARD AS

POSSIBLE FOR OUR NAVAL AND

D.O.D. FORCES, IT DOES CREATE

QUITE A CHALLENGE.

SO WHEN WE BUY, STORE,

DISTRIBUTE FUEL, IT IS A

LOGISTICAL CONSTRAINT.

SO THE NICE THING ABOUT WAVE

ENERGY AS IT DEVELOPS,

DIVERSIFIES OUR PORTFOLIO, AND

GIVES US ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO

PROVIDE ANOTHER ENERGY SOURCE.

>> Reporter: RESEARCHERS PLAN TO

TEST AT LEAST SIX MORE WAVE

POWER DEVICES IN THE COMING

YEARS.

THE NEXT ONE UP IS CALLED AN

"OSCILLATING WATER COLUMN" AND

WORKS A BIT DIFFERENTLY THAN THE

OTHERS.

WAVES PUSH AND PULL AIR THROUGH

A CHAMBER AND THEN THROUGH A

TURBINE, WHICH SPINS AND

GENERATES POWER.

RESEARCHERS ARE ALSO MONITORING

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS BUT SO FAR

HAVE NOT FOUND ANYTHING

SIGNIFICANT.

THE DEVICES, AS MUCH AS A MILE

OFFSHORE IN KANEOHE BAY, ARE ALL

CONNECTED TO LAND BY CABLES THAT

COME ASHORE HERE, AND THEN FEED

INTO THIS OLD WORLD WAR II

BUNKER ON THE MARINE BASE THAT'S

BEEN CONVERTED INTO WORK SPACE.

>> ACTUALLY IT'S WHERE THE GRID

CONNECTION POINT FOR THE...

>> Reporter: THIS IS ALSO WHERE

THE WAVE DEVICES CONNECT TO

OAHU'S POWER GRID.

IT'S THE ONLY WAVE ENERGY

TESTING SITE IN THE COUNTRY

CONNECTED TO AN ELECTRICITY

GRID.

ALL THE DEVICES TESTED SO FAR

HAVEN'T SENT MUCH POWER TO

OAHU'S GRID.

THE NEXT ONES COULD GENERATE

POWER FOR A FEW DOZEN HOMES.

AND PAT CROSS SAYS IF THEY CAN

COME UP WITH A SUCCESSFUL DEVICE

WAVES COULD ONE DAY BE A MORE

RELIABLE ENERGY SOURCE THAN WIND

OR SOLAR.

>> IT CAN BE QUITE CONSISTENT

DAY AND NIGHT, WHICH OF COURSE

SOLAR IS NOT.

AND-AND IT'S PREDICTABLE FAIRLY

RELIABLY OUT TO THE ORDER OF

FIVE DAYS TO A WEEK.

SO YOU CAN KIND OF PLAN HOW

MUCH YOU'RE GONNA GET FROM WAVE

ENERGY DEVICES TO FEED INTO A

POWER GRID, FOR EXAMPLE.

>> Reporter: GEORGE HAGERMAN,

AN OCEAN ENERGY RESEARCHER AT

VIRGINIA TECH, SAYS BEYOND

HAWAII, THE ENTIRE PACIFIC COAST

OF THE U.S. HAS THE MOST

POTENTIAL FOR WAVE POWER AND

THAT IT COULD ONE DAY SUPPLY

ELECTRICITY TO MILLIONS OF

AMERICAN HOMES.

BUT, HAGERMAN CAUTIONS, THAT DAY

IS STILL A VERY LONG WAY OFF.

>> WAVE POWER IS POPULARLY

THOUGHT, AND I THINK WITH SOME,

WITH SOME VALIDITY, TO BE AT THE

STAGE WHERE SOLAR ELECTRIC

PANELS AND LAND BASED WIND

TURBINES WERE IN THE LATE 1980s,

EARLY '90s.

SO MAYBE A DECADE OR TWO IN

TERMS OF REALLY REACHING THE

POINT WHERE THE TECHNOLOGY IS

COMMERCIALLY WIDESPREAD

DEPLOYED.

>> Reporter: BEFORE THAT

HAPPENS, RESEARCHERS MUST FIGURE

OUT HOW THESE DEVICES CAN TOSS

ABOUT WITH THE WAVES AND SURVIVE

HARSH OCEAN CONDITIONS FOR

LONG PERIODS OF TIME.

UNTIL RECENTLY, HAGERMAN SAYS,

OCEAN-GOING DEVICES HAVE BEEN

DESIGNED WITH THE EXACT OPPOSITE

GOAL IN MIND.

>> HISTORICALLY, ALL OF OUR

MATHEMATICAL MODELING AND

UNDERSTANDING OF THE FLUID

DYNAMICS OF HOW WAVES INTERACT

WITH OCEAN STRUCTURES IS FOR

STRUCTURES THAT WE DESIGN NOT TO

ABSORB WAVE ENERGY.

SO A SHIP IS DESIGNED TO BE OF

SUCH A LENGTH THAT IT DOESN'T

PITCH VIOLENTLY OR EVERYONE

WOULD GET SEASICK ON THE SHIP.

SO VESSELS AND OIL AND GAS

PLATFORMS ARE DESIGNED NOT TO

RESONATE WITH THE WAVE, BECAUSE

YOU WANT THE PLATFORM NOT TO

FATIGUE AND FAIL PREMATURELY.

NOW WE HAVE TO DESIGN STRUCTURES

THAT VERY EFFICIENTLY TAKE IN

ALL THAT ENERGY.

SO THAT'S ONE OF THE CHALLENGES

TOO.

IT'S A WHOLE NEW MINDSET.

>> Reporter: IT'S DIFFICULT TO

DEVELOP THIS TECHNOLOGY.

IT'S STILL IN THE VERY EARLY

STAGES, BUT YOU DO BELIEVE THAT

YOU ARE GOING TO GET TO

COMMERCIAL VIABILITY ONE DAY?

>> I DO, I DO.

YOU KNOW, THERE ARE, IT'S, CAN I

GUARANTEE?

NO.

BUT I THINK THE PRIZE IS GREAT.

THERE'S A LOT OF ENERGY OUT

THERE, AND IT'S REALLY, JUST

MAKES... IT WOULDN'T MAKE SENSE

NOT TO PURSUE WAVE ENERGY AS

PART OF THE-THE WORLD'S, THE

NAVY'S AND THE COUNTRY'S AND THE

WORLD'S-- POWER NEEDS.