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A Berkeley inventor has started a company to harness the power in ocean waves to provide renewable energy to coastal communities. 

Mirko Previsic, chief executive officer of Sea Power and Associates, says the company's patented method uses a series of buoys that are driven up and down by the waves.  

That activity is then channeled through a hydraulic pump that converts the motion energy into electricity. 

Previsic says he's hopeful that each yard of coastline could power 20 homes, cutting down on greenhouse gas emissions in the process. 

Sanjay Wagle, who is chief financial officer at Sea Power, is also optimistic: “We've tested our prototype at half scale in the world's largest wave tank,” he said. “Now we're ready to put it into the ocean.” 

Their plan won top honors this weekend at the Haas Social Venture Competition, a national competition sponsored by the Walter A. Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley.