A rising sun sheds its bright golden light over a small island town. Reflections of clouds are visible in the mirror-smooth surface of the lake.

Community co-designed wave energy prototypes demonstrated in Lake Michigan

The prototypes—designed with and for the remote island community of Beaver Island—were showcased during the island’s 11th annual sustainability fair.

STORY BY:

Derek Smith

PHOTOS BY:

Marcin Szczepanski

Key takeaways

  • University of Michigan Engineering is designing wave energy converters using feedback from residents on Beaver Island, a remote island community in Lake Michigan.
  • The researchers hope the prototypes can provide emergency lighting to the island’s airport, which is essential for moving mail, supplies and people to and from the island.
  • By advancing wave energy, the researchers hope to improve energy independence and security for the island and nation.

The crystal-clear waters of Lake Michigan lapped against the rocky shore of Whiskey Point, Beaver Island, as twenty or so locals gathered near Central Michigan University’s boathouse, with cookies from the nearby farmers market in hand.

The group centered around four wader-clad researchers standing about knee-deep in the lake. One man stood near a floating device that looked like a three-foot catamaran built around a PVC frame. An inflatable buoy sporting the Michigan block M was tied to a dock further from shore.

A man crouches below the steel railing of a dock. Waist deep in lake water, he handles wires on a buoy, which resembles a blue inner tube around a metal post. The inner tube portion of the device sports the Michigan block M.
Weihan Lin, a doctoral student in naval architecture and marine engineering, prepares an inflatable buoy for the wave energy demo.
Two researchers are holding a device that looks like a blue catamaran built around a square, PVC pipe frame. A small LED connected at the top of the frame is on. Another man stands at a dock further away. All the researchers are wearing waders and standing in the lake. Two researchers are holding a device that looks like a blue catamaran built around a square, PVC pipe frame. A small LED connected at the top of the frame is on. Another man stands at a dock further away. All the researchers are wearing waders and standing in the lake.
Hanzhi Mon (front right), a doctoral student in naval architecture and marine engineering, and Saeid Bayat (front left), a postdoctoral researcher in naval architecture and marine engineering, move a catamaran-shaped wave energy converter to power an LED for the demo. Weihan Lin (back left), a doctoral student in naval architecture and marine engineering, watches from a nearby dock.

The researchers from University of Michigan Engineering had come to demo prototype wave energy converters during the Island’s 11th annual sustainability fair Saturday, June 20. But this wasn’t a generic technology demonstration—the U-M team had designed their prototypes based on use cases envisioned by Beaver Island residents.

In earlier visits, residents had proposed emergency lighting to the local airport, which is crucial for transporting people, mail and supplies. The researchers demoed a prototype designed for this application. The work, including the gathering of community input, is funded by the National Science Foundation.

A runway cuts through a grass lawn behind the flag. A white plane is parked near the runway. The plane has an orange stripe that stretches the entire length of the body and gets thicker toward the tail. Green stripes flank each side of the orange stripe.
An American flag hangs at the Beaver Island airport.

Winds brought only a few small waves to the harbor that morning, but the researchers didn’t let that slow them down. Saeid Bayat, a postdoctoral researcher in naval architecture and marine engineering, pushed down on the catamaran to simulate wave motion. An LED near the top of the PVC frame flashed on as he pumped his arms.

“Slow down! It’s only built for nine watts, and you’re strong enough to make 20,” doctoral student Weihan Lin joked from the dock.

Four men gather around a dock. Two of them handle a set of wires connected to computer chips and a smart phone.
The team of naval architecture and marine engineering researchers connect LEDs and a phone charging system to their wave energy converters before the demo. The researchers are (from front to back): postdoctoral researcher Zirui Liu, doctoral student Weihan Lin, postdoctoral researcher Saeid Bayat and doctoral student Hanzhi Mon.
Three circle LEDs are on. A hand grasps a long wire attached to the lights.
A close-up view of the LEDs wired to the catamaran-style wave energy converter.

The attendees seemed unbothered by no-show waves. They uttered “oohs” and “ahhs” as the inflatable buoy charged a smartphone. Many attendees were eager to ask questions and share ideas. One attendee was delighted at the prospect of charging car batteries, equipment and personal items with energy from a choppy lake.

“We spend a lot of time developing and testing these technologies, so it was rewarding to share them directly with community members and hear their perspectives,” said Bayat.

Two men stand knee deep in a lake. One of the men holds a device that looks like a blue catamaran built around a square, PVC pipe frame. The other man gestures toward the device. A crowd of people watch from the shore nearby.
Saeid Bayat (front left), a postdoctoral researcher in naval architecture and marine engineering, and Hanzhi Mon (front right), a doctoral student in naval architecture and marine engineering, explain to the sustainability fair attendees how their wave energy converter works.

Community-centered design

By generating excitement around their half-sized prototypes, the researchers hope to get community buy-in for larger-scale tests in public water. The west or south ends of the island would be ideal. There, waves are more common and swell to larger sizes.

Four researchers stand at a dock with large gaps in the boardwalk providing access to the water underneath. Two devices are tied to the dock. A researcher connects a wire extending from one of the devices to a circuit board resting on the boardwalk.
An aerial view of the researchers installing the electronics for their wave energy demo.

The researchers have taken their community-centered approach from the very beginning because they know public acceptance is essential to the success of energy technologies. 

“A five-megawatt wind turbine is more than enough for such a small community. However, nobody wants to see one from their backyard,” said Lei Zuo, the Herbert C. Sadler Collegiate Professor of Engineering and the principal investigator of the project. “We need to work with the community to identify their needs and preferences.”

Zuo first reached out to residents in 2023, when he started thinking about how he could improve energy systems for rural communities. He asked Tara’s Meadow, the educational center that organizes the sustainability fair, to schedule a webinar for the community. The partnership has continued to grow since.

“Living on an island, that captivates us all to think about what if we could capture all that energy from the waves, and enjoy it,” said Seamus Norgaard, director and board president of Tara’s Meadow, which organizes the sustainability fair.

Building energy independence

Some residents’ interest stems from a hunger for energy independence. In 2022, High winds toppled aerial cables connecting the island’s power plant to the underwater cable to the mainland grid, which the residents unaffectionately refer to as their “umbilical cord.” Residents outside the town of St. James lost power for two to three days, according to a report issued by the township. Residents lost power again in 2025, during a dangerously cold ice storm.

“It would be really nice to have sustainable, reliable power on our own, here,” said Beth Crosswhite. She has lived on the island year-round for more than 40 years and became a co-chair of the researcher’s advisory board to help advance the technology.

Beth Crosswhite smiles and sits at a stone beach. The bright blue waters of Lake Michigan behind her. In the water behind her, two men examine a catamaran-shaped device.
Beth Crosswhite, sits on the shore of Whiskey Point while the researchers prepare for the wave energy demo. She has lived on the island year-round for more than 40 years and became a co-chair of the researcher’s advisory board to help advance the technology.

In the long term, Zuo hopes his work with Beaver Island will help unlock the full potential of wave energy. Ocean waves in the United States have enough energy to cover 63% of U.S. energy generation. The Great Lakes are an ideal test bed because the waves aren’t as strong as on the coasts, so they won’t break early prototypes, yet, they pack about as much energy per meter as waves on the coasts of Japan, South Korea, and the South China Sea, Zuo said.

“Helping the island achieve energy independence is important, but it’s important for the country too,” said Lei. “Using more local sources of electricity rather than relying on imports from other countries is important for energy security.”

An aerial view of a white ferry approaching Beaver Island. The boathouse has a vibrant, scarlet-colored roof.
A passenger ferry passes Central Michigan University’s boathouse on its way to the St. James Harbor.

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