The burgeoning wave-power power industry holds a lot of promise. Off the coast of Portugal, one of the major hydrokinetic devices is receiving its first serious field test.  Dubbed “Pelamis,” after an ancient word for sea monster, the serpentine device — an attenuator wave energy converter, to be precise — is cranking out 750 kilowatts into the local power grid.

Over three miles out into the Atlantic, Pelamis has had to overcome a few obstacles not seen in the lab. Deeper water and rougher surf have caused some problems, but research teams have already moved to correct them by adjusting the buoyancy of their devices and strengthening underwater connections.

Wave power, or hydrokinetic energy, holds tremendous potential as a clean energy source, improving reliability of supply over solar and wind power. It provides a less visually obtrusive means of offshore power generation than wind farms, and wave conditions near many heavily populated areas worldwide are highly conducive to hydrokinetic installations. 

The Portuguese project has placed orders for 24 more machines. It will soon be the most productive such installation in the world and an important precedent for other nations to follow.