The Wave Hub will cover an area of ocean measuring 2.5 miles by 1.25 miles. Up to 30 wave energy devices, developed by Ocean Power Delivery out of Edinburgh, will float on top of the sea, transferring energy on the waves to equipment on the ocean floor, which will then be transmitted via a cable to an onshore station. The Wave Hub should be up and running by 2009.

Surfers Against Sewage and the British Surfing Association support the technology but waiver about the effects - one study suggested wave height could be reduced by up to 13 percent.

Australia wants to build a wave farm by 2009 as well, but Carnegie Corporation, which owns the rights to the equipment, still needs $500 million. Carnegie's system, called Ceto, differs from the Wave Hub in that it hooks rows of buoys to the sea floor instead of riding the waves from above. As the buoys sway, they pump high-pressure water to shore and spin turbines for power. The equipment can also be used for desalination. Carnegie expects its future farm to generate enough power for 25,000 homes.

And other companies, and investors, are looking into wave power, experimenting with projects around the United States, Europe, South Africa and Mexico.