The Story Behind WaveMax

The Question That Started Everything

Every invention begins with a question.

For my father, that question emerged while filming a documentary about Salvadoran coffee at the Port of La Libertad, on the Pacific coast of El Salvador.

At that time, large cargo ships could not dock directly at the pier. Instead, they remained offshore while smaller barges transported cargo between the ships and the port.

One day, while filming the loading operations, my father observed something that most people would have ignored. The barges were heavily loaded with coffee sacks. As ocean swells passed beneath them, they continuously rose and fell with the motion of the sea.

Most people saw cargo being transported.

My father saw energy.

As he watched those heavily loaded barges moving up and down with every wave, a simple question formed in his mind:

That question became the spark that ignited a journey that would span decades.

My Father the Inventor

My father was an inventor by nature.

Professionally, he was a filmmaker. He produced commercials, sports films, and documentaries, and owned a motion-picture film laboratory. Film production in those days was a highly technical process. Film had to be developed, copied, edited, synchronized with sound, and reproduced using specialized machinery.

What made my father unique was that he was rarely satisfied with simply using the equipment available on the market. Many of the machines in his laboratory were either designed, modified, or significantly improved by him.

One example was an invention he called the Simultaneous Sound, Track, and Picture System. At a time when synchronizing sound and image was difficult and time-consuming, he developed a system designed to simplify synchronization and editing.

Unfortunately, by the time the patent process was completed, newer technologies had already emerged, and the invention never reached commercial deployment.

Yet that experience never discouraged him. Innovation, I learned from him, is not always about commercial success. Sometimes it is about seeing a problem clearly, creating a solution, and pushing the boundaries of what is possible.

Looking back, I believe that whether through genetics, example, or years spent working alongside him, I inherited that same habit of observing, questioning, and searching for better ways to solve problems.

The Original Patent

The question that emerged at the Port of La Libertad eventually led my father to develop an ocean-energy system.

Years of experimentation, observation, and engineering culminated in U.S. Patent No. 4,718,231, issued in 1988 under the title “Assembly for Harnessing Wave and Tide Energy.”

The patent represented far more than a technical achievement. It represented the conviction that the immense energy of the ocean could someday become a practical source of renewable power.

I had the privilege of working alongside my father for many years as that vision continued to evolve.

Oceanographic Research

Our research soon led us into the field of oceanography.

At the time, access to oceanographic information was limited, and computational tools were far less advanced than those available today. An important opportunity arose while I was recovering from back surgery in Mississippi. Through a personal connection, I was introduced to the U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station in Vicksburg, Mississippi.

That introduction proved invaluable.

Through the Waterways Experiment Station, we gained access to coastal-engineering resources, technical guidance, oceanographic knowledge, and modeling software that significantly advanced our understanding of wave energy.

My father also designed and built his own instrument to measure wave heights from the pier at La Libertad. Years later, comparisons with offshore buoy measurements showed that his data closely matched professionally collected oceanographic information.

Those experiences reinforced our confidence that the Pacific coast of El Salvador possessed a significant and largely untapped wave-energy resource.

The Wave Shadow Problem

As our investigations progressed, we encountered a fundamental challenge.

The original patent positioned the floaters perpendicular to the incoming wave direction. While the concept functioned, engineers pointed out a critical limitation known as the wave-shadow effect.

The first floaters absorbed most of the available energy, while downstream floaters received progressively less. The farther back a floater was positioned, the less energy remained available.

It was a significant obstacle. Yet it also opened the door to a new idea.

SINCEU and the Economic Challenge

Following my father’s passing, my brother, Engineer Max Mejía, and I continued the research.

Determined to solve the wave-shadow problem, we developed a new concept known as SINCEU. The principal innovation was simple but important: instead of positioning the floaters perpendicular to the waves, we aligned the system parallel to the predominant wave direction.

We also developed hydrodynamic floaters, concrete support structures, counterweight systems, and numerical models using SolidWorks. The project showed promise.

However, another challenge soon emerged. The energy-conversion system relied on very large one-way bearings capable of handling enormous torque loads.

Technically, the system worked. Economically, it did not.

When quotations arrived from Germany for the required industrial bearings, it became clear that the cost of the mechanical transmission system would make commercial deployment extremely difficult.

The concept was technically viable, but economically impractical.

The Insight That Changed Everything

At approximately the same time, we had the privilege of working with oceanographer Francisco Gavidia.

During our discussions, he introduced us to an important principle of linear wave theory: ocean waves contain both potential energy and kinetic energy.

After reviewing our design, he made an observation that fundamentally changed our understanding. Our system was primarily capturing the potential energy component of the waves. In practical terms, even under ideal conditions, we were harvesting only about half of the total energy theoretically available.

At the time, this realization was discouraging. We were already facing significant economic and technical obstacles. Eventually, we suspended the project.

But in hindsight, that conversation became one of the most important moments in the entire history of WaveMax. It forced us to ask a new question:

That question became one of the intellectual foundations of WaveMax.

Rediscovering the Dream

By 2015, the SINCEU project had reached an important milestone. Significant numerical modeling had been completed, hydrodynamic concepts had been developed, and many of the technical challenges had been identified.

Yet the project remained constrained by economic limitations, mechanical complexity, and the technological tools available at that time. Eventually, the work came to a halt.

For nearly nine years, the project remained dormant. Life moved on. Other responsibilities demanded attention, and the dream of harnessing ocean energy was placed on hold.

Yet the idea never completely disappeared.

In 2024, nearly a decade later, I found myself reflecting on the years I had spent working alongside my father and my brother. I remembered the original patent, the oceanographic research, the discussions, the calculations, the disappointments, and the lessons learned.

Most of all, I remembered the unanswered questions.

The more I reflected on those years, the more convinced I became that the project had not reached a dead end. Perhaps we had simply reached the limits of the technology available at that time.

The world had changed dramatically since 2015. Artificial intelligence was transforming research and engineering. Access to scientific information had expanded enormously. Powerful computational tools that were once available only to large organizations had become accessible to individual innovators.

In 2024, I decided to begin again.

That decision marked the true beginning of WaveMax.

Why WaveMax?

As the new concept began to take shape in 2024, another question emerged:

What should it be called?

The name WaveMax was chosen for two reasons.

The first reason was deeply personal. Throughout his life, my father had a habit of incorporating the word “Max” into many of the projects and companies he created. His film production company, for example, was called FilmMax.

The word became associated in my mind with his creativity, determination, and innovative spirit. As I began developing this new generation of ocean-energy technology, I wanted the name to honor the person who had first inspired the journey.

The second reason was philosophical. From the beginning, one principle guided every engineering decision: the pursuit of maximum efficiency, maximum practicality, and maximum economic viability.

A technology can be elegant and still fail. It can be technically impressive and still fail. It can even achieve high efficiency and still fail. For an energy technology to succeed, it must combine performance with economic reality.

Maximum energy capture. Maximum efficiency. Maximum profitability. Maximum impact.

WaveMax became more than a name. It became a tribute, a philosophy, and a commitment to extracting the greatest possible value from the immense energy resources of the ocean.

The Birth of the Hybrid Architecture

The first component of the new architecture was the Potential Floater. Years of hydrodynamic development helped create a geometry optimized for harvesting the vertical motion of ocean waves.

The second component addressed kinetic energy.

After evaluating numerous alternatives, we adopted the teardrop shape as a starting point because of its exceptional hydrodynamic characteristics. Yet we believed additional improvements were possible.

Through further analysis, we developed a modified geometry incorporating a controlled curvature designed to generate beneficial vortex effects and create additional leverage around the rotational axis.

Together, the Potential Floater and the modified Teardrop Floater formed the basis of WaveMax’s hybrid architecture.

For the first time, we envisioned a system specifically designed to harvest both major components of wave energy within a single integrated platform.

Solving the Hydraulic Challenge

Once we concluded that the mechanical transmission system would be prohibitively expensive, a new question emerged.

If a purely mechanical approach was not economically viable, what alternative could efficiently convert the energy captured by the floaters?

The most obvious answer was hydraulics.

Hydraulic systems are widely used throughout industry because they can transmit large amounts of power through relatively compact components. However, they also present important challenges. Energy losses due to friction, fluid heating, pressure drops, and system inefficiencies can significantly reduce overall performance.

This led us to another fundamental question:

The answer gradually emerged through a combination of servo-hydraulic control, thermal management, and advanced system optimization.

As the concept evolved, we developed what we call the HydroTherm system, created to address one of the principal challenges of hydraulic power transmission: energy losses associated with fluid heating and variations in fluid behavior under changing operating conditions.

The result is not simply a hydraulic system, but an integrated energy-conversion architecture in which servo control, hydraulic power transmission, thermal management, and artificial intelligence work together as a unified system.

Capturing More of the Ocean

As the concept continued to evolve, another important question emerged.

From our earlier work, we had already developed counterweight systems designed to increase the sensitivity of the floaters, particularly to smaller gravitational waves. However, we began to wonder whether a passive system was enough.

If ocean conditions are constantly changing, why should the energy-conversion system remain static?

That question led us to a dynamic and adaptive system continuously monitored by sensors and controlled by artificial intelligence. The objective was simple: allow the system to adjust itself in real time to changing ocean conditions.

At the same time, we began developing the concept of a dynamic ballast system.

By selectively introducing or removing seawater from the floaters, the system could modify buoyancy, mass distribution, and dynamic response to incoming waves. This allowed the floaters to become more sensitive to different wave conditions and energy levels.

Traditional wave-energy devices are often optimized for a specific range of wave heights and periods. They may perform well when large ocean swells arrive, but much of the energy contained in smaller wave components remains underutilized.

Our objective was different.

We wanted a system capable of responding not only to long-period ocean swells generated thousands of kilometers away, but also to smaller local wave components that still contain usable energy.

Through dynamic ballast control, servo-hydraulic technology, intelligent sensing, and artificial intelligence, WaveMax can be designed to adapt its operating characteristics across a broader range of ocean conditions.

Biomimetic Efficiency

As the WaveMax concept continued to evolve, we also explored opportunities to improve hydrodynamic efficiency and long-term operational performance.

One area that attracted our attention was biomimicry.

Researchers have long observed that shark skin possesses a unique surface texture composed of microscopic riblet-like structures. These riblets help reduce drag and improve fluid flow along the surface of the animal.

Similar riblet technologies have been investigated and applied in competitive swimming suits, high-performance sailing yachts, aircraft surfaces, and other applications where even small reductions in drag can produce meaningful performance gains.

These observations led us to consider how similar surface textures could be incorporated into WaveMax floaters.

Our objective was twofold.

First, riblet-inspired surface treatments could improve hydrodynamic performance by reducing flow separation and minimizing turbulence around the floaters.

Second, they could help address biofouling, one of the persistent challenges faced by marine technologies. Biofouling occurs when algae, barnacles, and other marine organisms attach themselves to submerged surfaces, increasing drag, altering hydrodynamic characteristics, increasing maintenance requirements, and reducing system efficiency.

For WaveMax, riblet-inspired surface technology represents one more contribution toward extracting more energy from the ocean while reducing operational losses and maintenance requirements.

Stabilizing and Storing Energy

One final challenge remained.

Even if wave energy could be captured efficiently and converted economically, there was still the question of how to deliver that energy in a stable and useful form.

Ocean energy is inherently dynamic. Waves are constantly changing in height, period, and intensity. As a result, the power produced by a wave-energy system is naturally pulsating rather than constant.

This was not a new problem for us.

In the earlier SINCEU concept, we addressed this challenge through large mechanical flywheels. In WaveMax, as the system evolved toward a hydraulic architecture, a different solution became possible.

Instead of relying on mechanical inertia, we developed a hydraulic energy-buffering system based on high-pressure and low-pressure accumulators.

These accumulators act as energy reservoirs, absorbing fluctuations in power production and delivering a more stable energy flow to the generator.

Over time, we realized that this accumulator system could serve a second purpose: short-duration energy storage.

By storing energy for periods ranging from minutes to several hours, the system can help respond to fluctuations in electrical demand, support grid stability, and provide more reliable power delivery to energy-intensive applications such as data centers.

The ultimate objective is simple:

Capture more energy from the ocean. Convert it efficiently. Stabilize it effectively. Store it when necessary. And deliver it when demand requires it.

WaveDataMax: Ocean Energy for the AI Era

Every major technological revolution creates new opportunities.

But it also creates new challenges.

Over the past few years, I have personally experienced the extraordinary benefits of artificial intelligence. As a pastor, I have seen how it can assist in biblical and theological research. In education, I have witnessed how it can support learning, improve productivity, and expand access to knowledge. And as an inventor, I have experienced firsthand how artificial intelligence can accelerate research, engineering, and innovation.

Yet I also became aware of a growing problem.

Around the world, governments, environmental organizations, and the public are raising concerns about the enormous energy consumption of AI data centers. At the same time, data centers face another challenge: heat.

As computational power increases, so does the need for cooling. Massive amounts of electricity are consumed not only to operate servers, but also to remove the heat generated by those servers.

This led me to a simple question:

That question became the beginning of WaveDataMax.

As I studied the data-center industry, I discovered that several companies had explored ocean-based approaches, including underwater data centers and offshore installations. These concepts were innovative, but they also presented practical challenges related to accessibility, maintenance, and operational flexibility.

I began to wonder whether there might be a simpler solution.

That idea became the foundation of WaveDataMax.

The concept combines two resources that naturally coexist in the marine environment: renewable ocean energy and ocean cooling.

WaveDataMax uses a closed-loop cooling architecture integrated into a floating offshore platform. Heat exchangers and thermal-dissipation systems transfer excess heat to the surrounding marine environment, allowing seawater to function as a natural heat sink.

Thermal modeling indicated strong cooling potential even in tropical waters, with even greater potential in colder ocean regions.

At the same time, the platform can benefit from direct access to renewable ocean energy generated by WaveMax. The hydraulic energy-storage architecture originally developed for WaveMax also proved highly relevant, since data-center energy demand is dynamic and constantly changing.

As a result, WaveDataMax evolved beyond a cooling concept. It became a vision for a new generation of offshore AI infrastructure: a platform where renewable ocean energy powers artificial intelligence, where the ocean assists in cooling computational systems, and where the technologies developed for WaveMax find a new purpose in supporting one of humanity’s most important technological revolutions.

WaveMax LS: Bringing Ocean Energy to More Coastlines

As WaveMax continued to evolve, we became increasingly confident that the full architecture could provide an efficient and economically attractive solution for regions with strong wave-energy resources.

Our analyses suggested that the full WaveMax architecture performs best in locations where wave-energy density reaches approximately 14 to 15 kilowatts per meter or higher.

But a new question soon emerged.

What about the rest of the world?

What about coastlines that possess valuable ocean-energy resources, but not enough to justify a full WaveMax installation?

As we examined global wave-energy opportunities, we identified many regions that fell into this category: large portions of Central America, the Atlantic coast of Colombia, sections of the eastern coast of the United States, and other moderate-energy coastal regions.

Many of these locations offer important advantages. Some have electrical infrastructure. Others are near submarine communication cables. Many are close to population centers, industries, or growing energy demand.

The question became clear:

That question became the foundation of WaveMax LS.

The letters “LS” stand for Low Swell.

Instead of rigid concrete-pile support structures, WaveMax LS operates from a floating platform anchored to the seabed. This introduces a tradeoff: because the platform itself can move with the ocean, some energy-capture efficiency may be reduced. However, the reduction in structural cost may compensate for part of that loss.

WaveMax LS is therefore optimized not for maximum performance under ideal conditions, but for maximum practicality in moderate-energy environments.

At the same time, one design principle remains unchanged: the wave-shadow problem cannot be allowed to return. WaveMax LS preserves the parallel-wave architecture developed during the SINCEU years so one energy-capture module does not significantly interfere with another.

Based on preliminary analyses, WaveMax LS may be well suited for regions with wave-energy densities ranging from approximately 6 to 12 kilowatts per meter, and in some cases up to 15 kilowatts per meter.

WaveMax LS and the Advantage of Mobility

As the WaveMax LS concept continued to evolve, another advantage became increasingly apparent.

The floating architecture was not only a solution for moderate-energy coastlines. It was also a solution for mobility.

Unlike fixed installations supported by permanent offshore structures, WaveMax LS can be deployed on floating platforms anchored to the seabed and, when necessary, relocated to a different location.

This characteristic opens opportunities beyond conventional renewable-energy applications.

In certain regions, political instability, natural disasters, changing energy demands, or strategic considerations may require power-generation assets to be moved from one location to another.

WaveMax LS could potentially be transported by sea and deployed wherever temporary or long-term power generation is required.

This mobility may prove valuable in emergency-response situations, disaster-recovery operations, remote island communities, coastal regions where permanent infrastructure is difficult to justify, and maritime security or defense applications.

Many naval installations and island-based facilities require reliable energy while maintaining operational flexibility. A floating wave-energy platform could provide renewable power while preserving the ability to relocate the system if strategic needs change.

In some locations, WaveMax LS’s greatest advantage may not be the energy resource itself. Its greatest advantage may be the ability to bring that energy wherever it is needed.

TideMax: Extending Ocean Energy Beyond Waves

As WaveMax continued to evolve, another question emerged.

We had spent years studying how to capture the energy contained in ocean waves. But what about places where the greatest energy resource is not found in waves?

What about estuaries, tidal channels, river mouths, and coastal passages where large volumes of water move continuously through natural flow patterns?

That question became the starting point for TideMax.

By this stage, several key technologies had already been developed: concrete support structures, servo-hydraulic power take-off, the HydroTherm concept, hydraulic energy accumulation, and artificial intelligence control.

The challenge was no longer how to convert energy. The challenge was how to efficiently capture energy from moving water.

As we explored different alternatives, one technology stood out: the Gorlov helical turbine. Its helical geometry provides smooth torque production and strong hydrodynamic performance. However, like many lift-based turbines, it can face a starting-torque challenge at lower flow velocities.

This led us to another question:

The answer emerged through a hybrid turbine architecture combining a Gorlov turbine with a Savonius turbine. The Savonius component provides strong starting characteristics and low-speed performance, while the Gorlov component contributes higher efficiency once the system reaches operating speed.

As the concept evolved, we explored AI-managed hydraulic pitch control, allowing blade orientation to adapt to changing flow conditions. We also investigated Venturi channels, which accelerate fluid flow by constricting the flow path and increasing local velocity.

Together, these elements form the foundation of TideMax: hybrid Gorlov-Savonius turbines, AI-controlled hydraulic pitch systems, servo-hydraulic power conversion, HydroTherm thermal management, hydraulic energy storage, and Venturi-assisted flow acceleration.

WaveMax taught us how to harvest the energy of waves.

TideMax asks a new question:

SaltMax: Turning Ocean Water into Opportunity

Every innovation begins with a problem.

For SaltMax, that problem was water.

During visits to California, particularly in the Los Angeles region, I spoke with friends and fellow Christians who had experienced devastating wildfire seasons. Many described how close their homes had come to destruction.

As we discussed the causes and consequences of these disasters, one issue repeatedly surfaced: water scarcity.

The challenge is not limited to California. Around the world, growing populations, prolonged droughts, climate variability, and increasing water demand are placing enormous pressure on freshwater resources.

The problem is especially evident in coastal regions. In many developing countries, including parts of Central America, coastal communities often depend on groundwater wells. In many cases, that water contains elevated concentrations of salts and minerals, making it unsuitable for direct human consumption. Families are then forced to purchase drinking water, creating an additional financial burden.

These realities led me to ask a simple question:

If the ocean contains an almost limitless supply of water, why is clean water still so difficult to obtain?

That question became the beginning of SaltMax.

As I studied desalination technologies, I recognized their enormous potential, but also an important limitation: most conventional desalination systems produce freshwater while generating a concentrated waste stream known as brine.

In many cases, this brine is discharged back into the ocean. Although discharge systems can be engineered and diluted, concentrated brine can still create environmental concerns for marine ecosystems.

This led to another question:

That idea became one of the guiding principles behind SaltMax.

The objective was not simply desalination. The objective was Zero Liquid Discharge.

Instead of treating brine as waste, SaltMax views it as a resource. The concept combines renewable ocean energy with advanced water treatment, mineral recovery, and evaporation technologies.

WaveMax-generated energy can power reverse-osmosis systems and water-treatment processes. The resulting brine can then be concentrated through solar evaporation, evaporation ponds, and thermal processes.

Rather than disposing of the concentrated solution, SaltMax seeks to recover valuable minerals such as sodium chloride, magnesium compounds, bromine, and other industrially useful materials.

What was once considered waste becomes a potential source of value.

In this way, SaltMax transforms desalination from a single-purpose process into a broader resource-recovery platform: clean water, mineral recovery, renewable energy, and environmental stewardship working together.

BiocharMax: From Soil Restoration to Carbon Removal

Some innovations begin in laboratories.

Others begin in everyday life.

For me, BiocharMax began in agriculture.

Since childhood, I have enjoyed working with plants, trees, and soil. Over the years, I have had the opportunity to manage fruit trees and agricultural areas on church property, giving me firsthand experience with the challenges faced by growers and land managers.

Like many farmers, I experimented with different soil-improvement techniques: organic fertilizers, compost, bocashi, and other methods designed to improve soil fertility and plant productivity.

While these approaches can be effective, they share a common limitation. Their benefits are temporary. After a few months, much of the organic material decomposes, requiring repeated applications and additional costs.

This led me to ask a simple question:

That question eventually led me to biochar.

Biochar is produced through the thermal conversion of biomass under low-oxygen conditions, creating a highly stable carbon structure with extraordinary physical and chemical properties.

Its highly porous structure acts like a microscopic sponge, helping soils retain water, nutrients, and beneficial microorganisms. This can improve drought resistance, reduce nutrient losses, enhance microbial activity, and improve overall soil quality.

But as I continued researching, I discovered something even more significant.

Biochar is not only a soil-improvement technology. It is also a carbon-removal technology.

During plant growth, carbon dioxide is naturally removed from the atmosphere through photosynthesis. Normally, when organic material decomposes, much of that carbon eventually returns to the atmosphere.

Biochar changes that cycle. By converting biomass into a highly stable carbon structure, a significant portion of that carbon can remain locked in the soil for hundreds or even thousands of years.

That realization revealed a second opportunity: the environmental value of carbon sequestration can be monetized through carbon-credit markets.

At that point, BiocharMax evolved from an agricultural concept into a broader sustainability platform.

The production of biochar also generates valuable thermal energy and combustible gases. Rather than allowing that energy to go unused, we began exploring how it could be integrated into the broader Coastal Loop ecosystem.

The answer was SaltMax.

The thermal energy generated by BiocharMax can support evaporation, mineral recovery, and Zero Liquid Discharge desalination processes. In this way, one system strengthens the other.

SaltMax produces clean water and recovers valuable minerals. BiocharMax improves soils, removes carbon from the atmosphere, and provides useful thermal energy.

Together, they create a circular resource platform in which energy, water, minerals, agriculture, and carbon management work together rather than operating independently.

The Coastal Loop Vision

As the ecosystem continued to grow, the relationship among these technologies became increasingly clear.

WaveMax and TideMax provide renewable ocean energy.

WaveDataMax applies that energy and ocean cooling to the needs of artificial intelligence infrastructure.

WaveMax LS extends the opportunity to lower-swell regions and mobile applications.

SaltMax transforms seawater into freshwater while recovering minerals and avoiding brine discharge.

BiocharMax improves soils, supports carbon removal, and provides thermal energy that can strengthen the SaltMax process.

Together, these technologies form the Coastal Loop vision.

The goal is not simply to produce renewable energy.

Nor is it simply to produce freshwater.

The goal is to create regenerative coastal infrastructure—systems capable of generating value while restoring natural resources and serving human needs.

In many ways, Coastal Loop represents the expansion of the original question asked at the Port of La Libertad.

Today, that question has grown.

We believe the answer is yes.

Final Reflection

Looking back, WaveMax was never the result of a single invention.

It emerged from decades of questions, experiments, setbacks, redesigns, discoveries, and perseverance.

It began with an inventor standing at the Port of La Libertad, watching coffee barges rise and fall with the Pacific Ocean.

Most people saw cargo.

He saw energy.

The question he asked that day continues to guide us:

Today, that question remains at the heart of WaveMax.

Yet the ultimate purpose of this journey extends beyond technology itself.

From the beginning, both my father and I have viewed innovation as a form of stewardship—a responsibility to use the talents, opportunities, and resources entrusted to us for the benefit of others.

Every stage of this work, from the earliest experiments to the development of WaveMax, WaveDataMax, WaveMax LS, TideMax, SaltMax, BiocharMax, and Coastal Loop, has been driven by a desire to glorify God and to help address some of the challenges facing our world: energy, water, food, sustainability, and human flourishing.

Our hope is that these technologies may contribute in some meaningful way to improving lives, strengthening communities, and caring for the resources God has placed under our stewardship.

Above all, it is our desire that this work be dedicated to the glory of God and to the benefit of humanity.