Explore the history of wave energy, its pros and cons, and its environmental impact. A balanced look at this powerful renewable energy source.
Wave energy has a longer history than you might think. People have been trying to capture power from the ocean for over 200 years. Here’s the short version:
People have wondered about using ocean waves for power for centuries. The first documented attempt came in 1799. A French father-and-son team named Girard filed a patent for a wave-powered device. We don’t know if they ever built a working version. But the idea was out there.
Throughout the 1800s, various inventors tried wave-powered pumps and machines. Most never made it past the drawing board. The ocean was just too powerful and unpredictable for the materials and tools of the time. Can you blame them?
The 1973 oil crisis pushed countries to look for alternatives. When oil prices skyrocketed, countries started looking seriously at alternative energy. In 1974, a British engineer named Stephen Salter published a paper about a device called “Salter’s Duck” (officially the Edinburgh Duck). It was a nodding duck-shaped device that could capture 90% of a wave’s energy. Yes, a duck. And yes, 90% — that’s amazing efficiency.
Salter’s work inspired other researchers. Japan, Norway, the UK, and the US all started wave energy programs. But in the 1980s, oil prices dropped again. Government funding dried up. Many projects were abandoned.
Interest returned in the 1990s as climate change became a global concern. New materials and computer modeling made better designs possible. In 2000, the first offshore wave energy device was tested in Scotland.
In 2008, Portugal opened the Aguçadoura Wave Farm — the world’s first commercial wave farm. It used three Pelamis attenuators and could power about 1,500 homes. It only ran for a few months before technical issues shut it down. But it proved that wave energy could work at commercial scale.
Today, test centers in Scotland, Oregon, and Australia continue to push the technology forward. Over 100 companies worldwide are working on wave energy devices. That’s a lot of brainpower focused on the ocean.
Wave energy is one of the cleanest energy sources we know. But it’s not completely without impact.
Wave energy produces electricity without burning fuel. That means no carbon dioxide, no sulfur dioxide, no nitrogen oxides — none of the pollutants that come from coal, oil, or gas. Over its lifetime, a wave energy device has a tiny carbon footprint compared to fossil fuels.
Wave energy devices don’t use fresh water for cooling like some power plants do. They don’t produce toxic waste. And unlike tidal barrages, they don’t block entire estuaries. Pretty clean, right?
The main environmental questions revolve around marine life. Wave energy devices create new structures in the ocean. Fish and other animals might be attracted to them — or they might avoid them. The noise from turbines and pumps could affect whales and dolphins that use sound to navigate.
There’s also the risk of entanglement. Moving parts underwater could trap animals. The electromagnetic fields from underwater cables might affect fish that sense electric fields. Researchers are watching all of this closely.
Most of these concerns are still being studied. Early research suggests that the impact is relatively small compared to other human activities in the ocean, but more data is needed.
Compared to fossil fuels, wave energy is far cleaner. Compared to wind and solar, it has a similar footprint during operation. No energy source is perfect. But wave energy stacks up well against the alternatives.
Imagine trying to invent something in 1799. No computers. No electricity. And someone still thought, “I bet we could use the ocean to make power.” That’s how long people have been curious about wave energy.
The modern story is like a roller coaster. People got excited in the 1970s, then lost interest when oil got cheap. Now they’re excited again because we need clean energy. Wave energy is like a secret player that’s been warming up on the bench for over 200 years.
Think of wave energy like a super-powered toy boat. Here’s what you need to know.
The good stuff: It never runs out of batteries. It works at night. It doesn’t make smoke. And you don’t need to buy fuel. Nice, right?
The tricky stuff: The toy boat has to be really, really strong. A big storm could break it. Saltwater can rust it. And we’re still figuring out the best way to build it, so it costs a lot right now.
Picture a birdhouse in your backyard. It gives birds a place to rest. But it also changes your backyard a little. Wave energy devices are like birdhouses in the ocean. They can be good - they might even become artificial reefs where fish gather. But they also change things. Scientists are watching carefully to make sure the good outweighs the not-so-good.
Wave energy has followed a classic pattern. The early work from the 1970s (Salter’s Duck, the Kaimai project in Japan) established the basic physics. The 1990s brought better materials like composites and improved computer modeling. The 2000s proved the technology could work at sea. The current phase? Reliability, cost reduction, and scaling up.
EROI measures how much energy you get back for what you put in. Fossil fuels have high EROI. Early renewables had lower EROI but are improving. Researchers are still calculating wave energy’s EROI as the technology evolves. Early estimates suggest it will be competitive with other renewables once manufacturing scales up.
A useful way to think about wave energy’s place in the world is to compare key metrics:
Create a timeline of wave energy history as a class. Mark the 1799 patent, the 1970s oil crisis, the opening of EMEC in 2003, and the Aguçadoura wave farm in 2008. Discuss why progress has been slow and what might happen next.
Wave energy is part of the larger family of ocean energy. You might want to explore:
Each of these uses the ocean’s natural movements to generate power. Together they represent one of the most promising frontiers in renewable energy.
Last updated: June 15, 2026
In what year was the first wave energy patent filed?
What sparked renewed interest in wave energy in the 1970s?
What is the main environmental concern with wave energy devices?
Which country built the world's first commercial wave farm?
Why is wave energy considered more predictable than solar power?
Answers: B: 1799, B: The oil crisis, B: They can affect marine habitats and animals, B: Portugal, B: Wave patterns can be forecast days in advance
When was wave energy first discovered?
People have known about the power of waves for centuries. The first patent for a wave energy device was filed in France in 1799 by a father and son named Girard. Serious research began in the 1970s after the oil crisis pushed countries to look for alternative energy.
What are the biggest pros of wave energy?
Wave energy is renewable, produces no pollution while running, and has the highest energy density of any renewable source. Waves are predictable and available day and night. Once installed, operating costs are low.
What are the biggest cons of wave energy?
The technology is expensive to build and install. Devices can break in storms and corrode in saltwater. They may affect marine habitats. Wave farms also need to share ocean space with fishing and shipping. And so far, only a few wave farms exist worldwide.
Does wave energy hurt marine animals?
There are concerns. Devices create noise, take up space, and have moving parts underwater. Fish, whales, and other animals could be affected. But the impact is not fully understood yet. Researchers are studying it, and new designs try to be more animal-friendly.
How does wave energy compare to wind and solar?
Wave energy is more predictable than solar or wind. Waves can be forecast days in advance. It also has higher energy density - a wave farm can produce more power in less space than a solar or wind farm. But wave energy is more expensive and less developed.
Is wave energy truly clean?
Wave energy devices produce electricity without burning anything, so they release no greenhouse gases during operation. However, building and installing the devices takes energy and materials, which does have an environmental footprint. Overall, wave energy is one of the cleanest energy sources available.
What is the future of wave energy?
Many countries are investing in wave energy research. Scotland, Portugal, Australia, and the United States all have test sites and projects. As technology improves and costs come down, wave energy could become a major part of the renewable energy mix within the next few decades.
