Palau Tests Wave Power Future as Survey Team Scours Seabed for Renewable Energy Sites

By: Laurel Marewibuel

KOROR, Palau — A Taiwanese company is advancing plans for a gravity-based wave-energy generator off Palau’s east and south coasts, entering a site survey phase that could position the island nation as a leader in renewable ocean power.

RHINOSHIELD, known globally for its protective phone cases, has expanded into marine energy through its CircularBlue initiative, presenting the wave-energy project under Pacific 100’s ocean, fisheries and blue economy pathway during the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting. The development follows a working dinner earlier in the week with a Palauan cabinet minister where the wave-energy design was reviewed in detail.

Gravity-based design targets consistent swells. The wave-energy system uses a point absorber design in which a float rides the ocean swell and drives a turbine inside a concrete, gravity-based structure sitting on the seabed in approximately 20 meters of water. Eric Wang, RHINOSHIELD’s co-founder and CEO, told Ambassador Ilana Seid, Palau’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, that the team deliberately chose wave energy over tidal and current systems.

“Tidal requires very specific locations. Current turbines are very difficult to maintain and they are like a blender for animals. So we went for wave,” Wang said.

The project brought two offshore-wind professionals into RHINOSHIELD: Justin, formerly of Macquarie’s infrastructure investment business in Australia, and Bo, a marine engineer from Taiwan’s offshore wind sector. Their expertise helped shape the gravity-based approach, which anchors the structure to the seabed without requiring drilling or permanent fixtures.

Palau’s swells surprise the team

The team’s first visit to Palau in April, prompted by long-time Palau partner Alan Seid, overturned their assumption that an island near the equator would have no usable waves. This week, with a Palauan minister confirming regular 3- to 4-meter swells between Peleliu and Angaur, the team completed dive certification and began a site survey running through Sept. 10.

Working with local crew Palau Ocean Explorer and Dr. Chris Kitalong, the team is filming candidate sites at depths of 20 to 30 meters for environmental documentation. The survey marks the first fieldwork phase of a deliberately staged development plan.

Staged rollout minimizes risk

Wang emphasized that the project remains in early stages, with multiple checkpoints before construction begins. The development plan calls for deploying a data buoy for one year to collect wave patterns, followed by a scaled basin test in Taiwan in 2027 using real Palau wave data. Construction would proceed only if the design passes these validation stages.

Each unit is projected, on a preliminary basis, to generate 50 to 100 kilowatts. “We are still at a very early stage and there are a lot of unknowns,” Wang said. “But waves are more consistent than solar, Palau has no wind and no spare land, and if this works, you build hundreds of them and the whole island is sustainable. Palau could lead the world in this sector.”

Self-sustaining model links clean-up and energy

The wave-energy initiative grew out of RHINOSHIELD’s CircularBlue river clean-up station in Taiwan, where an autonomous drone-boat intercepts floating plastic before it reaches the sea. Space above the station is designed for hospitality use so that commercial revenue sustains the collection. “Clean-up that relies completely on donation is not self-sustainable,” Wang said. “Clean-up needs to combine with business. Then we can really scale.”

The drones’ power demand led engineers to explore renewable energy options, ultimately settling on wave power due to its consistency and lower environmental impact compared to other marine energy systems.

Investment and policy support needed

Romona Guan, Government Cooperation Lead at APAC 2 IMPACT, which convened Pacific 100 as an official side event of the Forum, told Ambassador Seid that RHINOSHIELD is funding the wave-energy development itself at significant cost. She said the pathway now needs “good investors and a team that can build it together,” alongside policy support from Palau.

Under Pacific 100, every solution carries a stated evidence level, whether proposal, certification, pilot or clinical data, and labels move up only when new evidence arrives. The Palau wave generator is currently at the survey-and-data stage.

Ambassador Seid invited the team to keep her office informed as the project advances, signaling government interest in the renewable energy initiative.