The recent agreement between Gov. Linda Lingle and the Hawaiian Electric Co. shows that Hawai'i is serious about renewable energy.

Thus far, we seem to be relying on wind power to meet the admirable goals set by the Hawai'i Clean Energy Initiative. That's great, but in a state with extremely finite amounts of available land, shouldn't we also be looking seaward? Wave energy converters are already providing power to the electric grid in Europe, and Hawai'i has one of the best wave climates in the world.

I recently attended the International Conference on Ocean Energy in Brest, France, where 457 attendees from 25 countries, including numerous wave energy technology and wave center developers, 15 utilities, large industrial companies, university research and support staff and government representatives assembled. At the opening portion of the ICOE, I explained to WEC developers why Hawai'i should be the preferred location for their devices.

The ICOE's goal is to put four to five WECs per week into the water by 2020, and Hawai'i, if it truly wants to develop its renewable energy resources and industry, would do well to capitalize upon this maritime gold rush.

Wave energy is a fast-emerging industry that will catch up with and exceed wind and solar within 10 years due to the reliability and tremendous potential of wave energy conversion. The question now is whether Hawai'i will become an international leader in wave energy development or merely sit on the sidelines and have to buy WECs at retail (plus shipping and handling).

The University of Hawai'i's School of Ocean and Earth Science Technology was recently selected as one of two federal ocean renewable energy test centers. The five-year designation and $5 million grant enables SOEST to study and implement wave energy systems in Hawai'i's seas. The key to making Hawai'i an industry leader, and stimulating our economy, is for SOEST to develop one or more wave energy test centers as soon as possible. At ICOE, we learned that 12 such centers are installed or in development globally, with none in Hawai'i at this point.

The economics, quite simply, are compelling. Wave Hub, in Southwest England, calculated its one center will create more than 1,800 new jobs, with $937 million gross value added to its local economy over the next 25 years. Oceanlinx (soon to be operating off Maui), Pelamis, Fred Olsen Ltd. and Powerbuoy will be "plugging in" to the Wave Hub in 2010. In Portugal, Pelamis has three machines already feeding into the electric grid, and plans to install an additional 25 WECs.

The Biscay Marine Energy Platform led by EVE in Spain aims to place the Basque region at the forefront of the wave energy industry. Its four berths, each with multiple connections for WEC developers, with subsea cables to on-shore power substations, will allow WECs to deliver power directly to the local grid. The project will be starting construction shortly and the WECs are expected to be operating by 2010. Of significant importance, its full environmental empact analysis includes analysis of all potential WECs, which can then be deployed without further delay.

Biscay, Wave Hub, and other university-based ocean research centers can assist SOEST in developing wave energy test sites in Hawai'i.

Laying an interisland transmission line for wind power will be a costly and time-consuming process. By moving ahead aggressively with WEC construction here on O'ahu, we can have systems in the water, providing clean, renewable energy to the grid within two years, well before any interisland cable is laid.

Internationally, the wave energy targets are set high: The UK's target is two gigawatts of installed wave energy capacity by 2020. New Zealand, which is mapping its marine energy climate, plans for its wave energy systems to catch up with its wind systems in as little as five years.

Wave energy in Hawai'i could meet 100 percent of the power needs of our Neighbor Islands, and 80 percent here on O'ahu.

Entities like HECO and SOEST must take the lead by establishing wave test centers or wave renewable energy zones now. This action would signal to WEC companies that Hawai'i is serious about leading with this clean, consistent and renewable energy. High-paying technical jobs will be created in several sectors, providing stimulation in difficult economic times. The economy, the environment, and ultimately the consumer benefit from using the ocean surge.

Rep. Cynthia Thielen, R-50th (Kailua, Kane'ohe Bay), wrote this commentary for The Advertiser.