Trace the history of wave energy from the first patent in 1799 to today's advanced wave farms. Learn about key inventors and milestones in ocean power.
Wave energy has a long and interesting history. People have dreamed of using ocean power for over 200 years. Here is the short version:
People have always noticed the power of waves. Watching waves crash on the shore, it is easy to wonder if that energy could be used.
The first official record came in 1799. A French father and son named Girard filed a patent for a wave-powered machine. We do not know if they ever built a working model. But the idea was written down. Wave energy was born on paper.
Throughout the 1800s, other inventors tried their hand at wave power. Most designs never left the drawing board. The ocean was too powerful. Materials were too weak. Tools were too simple. The idea was good, but the technology was not ready.
The early 20th century brought small but important progress.
In Japan, inventor Yoshio Masuda experimented with wave-powered navigation buoys. These buoys used the motion of waves to generate power for their lights. They were simple but they worked. Japan began using wave-powered buoys as early as the 1940s.
Masuda’s work was important. He proved that wave energy could power real devices in the ocean. His oscillating water column design became the basis for many later devices.
Other countries also experimented. Norway built small wave devices in the 1960s. But interest remained low. Fossil fuels were cheap and plentiful. Nobody saw a need for wave power.
Everything changed in 1973. Oil prices quadrupled. Countries that depended on oil faced a crisis. Suddenly, alternative energy was important.
Governments around the world began funding research into wind, solar, and wave energy. The United Kingdom launched one of the most ambitious wave energy programs.
In 1974, a British engineer named Stephen Salter published a paper describing a new wave energy device. It was called Salter’s Duck or the Edinburgh Duck. The device looked like a nodding duck. It rocked back and forth as waves passed. Laboratory tests showed it could capture up to 90 percent of a wave’s energy. This was far better than any previous design.
Salter’s work inspired a wave of research. Japan, Norway, the United States, and other countries started their own wave energy programs.
Then oil prices dropped again. In the 1980s, the crisis was over. Governments lost interest in alternative energy. Funding for wave research was cut dramatically.
Many promising projects were abandoned. The Edinburgh Duck was never deployed in the ocean. Research continued in a few places, but at a much slower pace.
This period showed the biggest challenge for wave energy. It was not just a technical problem. It was also a political and economic one. Cheap oil made it hard for any new energy source to compete.
In the 1990s, a new reason for clean energy emerged. Climate change became a global concern. Burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide, which warms the planet. The world needed clean energy.
Interest in wave energy returned. New materials like composites made devices stronger and lighter. Computer modeling helped engineers design better devices faster. The internet made it easier for researchers to share ideas.
In 1991, Norway built a prototype oscillating water column on the coast. It was one of the first grid-connected wave devices. It showed that wave energy could feed electricity into the power system.
In 2000, the first offshore wave energy device was deployed and tested in Scotland. It was a major milestone. Devices could now survive and work in the open ocean.
The 2000s brought commercial wave energy projects.
2003. The European Marine Energy Centre opened in Orkney, Scotland. It became the world’s leading test facility. Companies could bring their devices and test them in real ocean conditions connected to the grid.
2008. The Aguçadoura Wave Farm opened off the coast of Portugal. It was the world’s first commercial wave farm. Three Pelamis devices generated 2.25 megawatts of power. Technical problems shut it down after a few months, but it proved wave energy could work at commercial scale.
2011. The Mutriku wave plant in Spain began operating. It is an oscillating water column built into a breakwater. It is still running today and is one of the longest-operating wave plants.
Wave energy continues to advance.
PacWave opened in Oregon in 2023. It is a full-scale test facility connected to the grid. Companies can test their devices in the open Pacific Ocean. Four berths are available for different devices.
CETO in Australia has been operating successfully. Its underwater design avoids storm damage. It pumps high-pressure water to shore where it spins turbines.
Scotland remains the global hub. Over 30 different devices have been tested at EMEC. The Orkney Islands have become a center of wave energy expertise.
Today, about 100 companies worldwide work on wave energy technology.
Think about inventions. The first airplane flew in 1903. The first light bulb was 1879. Wave energy was first thought about in 1799. That is before most of the inventions we know today.
But wave energy took a long time to develop. It is like trying to build a sandcastle that survives the waves. It took a long time to make materials strong enough and designs smart enough.
The story of wave energy is like a roller coaster. People got excited in the 1970s. Then they stopped caring. Now they are excited again. Wave energy is like a patient inventor who kept working even when nobody was watching.
Wave energy history follows a pattern common to many technologies.
The invention phase from 1799 to 1970 was slow. Basic ideas were proposed but could not be built. The technology was not ready.
The research phase from 1970 to 2000 was driven by crises and opportunity. Oil shocks and climate concerns motivated investment. The fundamental science was established.
The demonstration phase from 2000 to 2020 proved devices could work at sea. Commercial projects were attempted. Many failed, but lessons were learned.
The deployment phase beginning now is about reliability and cost reduction. The goal is to make wave energy competitive with other renewables.
Create a wave energy timeline as a class. Mark the key dates on a long sheet of paper. Add drawings of the devices. Discuss why progress was faster in some decades than others.
Last updated: July 06, 2026
1. In what year was the first wave energy patent filed?
2. What was Stephen Salter's wave device called?
3. What event sparked wave energy research in the 1970s?
4. Where was the first commercial wave farm built?
5. What test facility opened in Scotland in 2003?
When was wave energy first invented?
The first patent for a wave energy device was filed in 1799 in France by a father and son named Girard. People had thought about using waves for power long before that, but this was the first official record.
Who invented the first modern wave energy device?
Stephen Salter, a British engineer, invented the Edinburgh Duck in 1974. It was a nodding duck-shaped device that could capture up to 90 percent of a wave's energy. It is considered the first modern wave energy converter.
What caused the first big push for wave energy research?
The 1973 oil crisis pushed countries to search for alternative energy. When oil prices quadrupled, governments funded research into wave power. Interest faded when oil prices dropped again in the 1980s.
When was the first commercial wave farm built?
The first commercial wave farm was Aguçadoura in Portugal, built in 2008. It used three Pelamis devices and could power about 1,500 homes. It only ran for a few months before technical issues shut it down, but it proved the concept.
What is the oldest working wave energy plant?
The Mutriku wave power plant in Spain is one of the oldest still operating. It opened in 2011. It is an oscillating water column built into a breakwater. It has been generating power continuously for over a decade.
