Navy aims to expand wave power testing in Kaneohe

HONOLULU — The Navy hopes to move a step closer to harnessing the power of the seas for electricity by expanding its testing of wave energy technology in Hawaii.

The Navy has been testing an energy buoy in about 100 feet of water off Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe Bay for about 10 years.

It now hopes to put two more buoys in water more than 200 feet deep.

The greater depth will allow it to test larger devices closer to the size it needs to generate energy for customers.

The buoys would be installed only after the Navy obtains required environmental permits.

Bob Frederickson, who heads the ocean facilities division at the Naval Facilities Engineering Command’s engineering services center, said Monday devices that generate enough electricity to power large numbers of customers won’t fit in shallower waters.

“So this is kind of the next step toward commercialization,” he said of the planned new buoys.

The Navy hopes to provide wave-produced energy to the Marine base in 2014.

The Navy and Marine Corps have been aggressively pursuing energy sources other than fossil fuels. The Navy hopes to run 50 percent of its fleet on nuclear power and alternative fuels such as algae by 2020. The Marine Corps is equipping Marines with solar-powered gadgets.

Frederickson said it was too early to say how much power ocean waves would generate for the Marine base.

The Navy plans to seek three ocean energy power developers to work on the project. Last week, it explained its plans to the industry during a conference at the base.

Frederickson said the Navy would select companies that have the greatest potential provide it with commercial wave energy in the future.

Capt. Pete Lynch, the engineering command’s vice commander for the Pacific, said the Navy is committed to reducing its dependence on fossil fuels.

“The ocean is an untapped resource and possible source of renewable energy,” he said in a statement issued about the industry conference.