By Jack Kittinger
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| Surf Science: Maui Wave Power |
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Anyone who’s watched Peahi break can attest to the okole-puckering intensity of the wave. Every time an 80-foot face detonates on the reef, a massive amount of potential energy is released. The massive north and northwest swells we see at Peahi are the end result of hundreds, sometimes thousands of miles of wind energy blowing over the vast expanse of the north Pacific. This enormous amount of energy is translated into swell, and there’s a lot of punch packed into each set. A new plan to harvest wave energy has been set in motion in Maui. Oceanlinx, an Australian sustainable energy company, has been approved to install generators that capture wave energy just off Pauwela Point, with a submerged power line crossing east of Maliko Bay near the famous Peahi wave. But don’t look for Laird Hamilton and friends to be dodging turbines in the barrel. The 1-megawatt generators will be installed north of Jaws, approximately three-quarters of a mile offshore. 
Three wave generators, each about the size of a three-bedroom house, will provide clean, renewable energy to approximately 1,600 homes on Maui. “It’s a better choice for Maui,” says Laird Hamilton, who supports the idea of less reliance on foreign energy sources. But will Maui’s diehard crop of big wave hunters have to contend with the wave generators when they drop in? According to Peter Rosegg with the Hawaiian Electric Company, preserving safe access to Peahi was a chief concern, and meetings were held with the Haiku Community Association and Maui Boaters Association to make sure the generators wouldn’t interfere with residents and users of the area. Laird Hamilton doubts there will be any impacts to surfers accessing Peahi: “They wouldn’t want to put those generators anywhere near that wave.” Each floating generator basically runs off the same energy we tap into with every takeoff. Every time we paddle up and over a swell (or punch through it), a significant chunk of energy is required. The wave generators are tethered to the seafloor and the vertical movement of the device pushes air through a turbine at speeds up to 250 mph. The clean energy is then sent into Maui’s electrical grid through a submerged cable. 
Past attempts at wave energy have met with adverse design issues, particularly in Oregon, where a similar device sank last year after just two months of testing. But the Oceanlinx design is meeting with more success, and units are currently being deployed in Australia, Britain, Africa, and Rhode Island. The units are slated for installation in 2009, but first the plan must first be reviewed for environmental impacts, like ecological impacts to sea bird populations, visual or scenic impacts to Maui’s seascape, and recreational impacts that could arise for surfers, fishermen, or other watermen and women that routinely access the area. The units will likely be powered down when Peahi-size swells hit the coast and during flat spells when there isn’t enough swell to create energy. So next time you flick on a video of the Maui crew charging Jaws, remember Hawaiian power has just been tapped for a new use—powering Maui homes with renewable energy.
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