More than $10 million will be invested into a program that will test the ability to convert wave energy into a source of power, the U.S. Energy Department said.

The Energy Department announced the test program for wave energy off the coast of Hawaii.

"The Energy Department-supported demonstrations at the U.S. Navy's wave energy test site off Hawaii's island of Oahu will help develop reliable wave energy options and collect important performance and cost data for wave energy conversion devices," it said in a Monday statement.

Two prototype wave energy converters will be deployed in open waters at depths of 196 feet and 260 feet.

The demonstration projects are aimed at examining wave energy technology that's in the late stage of development or close to full-scale operations.

The test program will run for one year. The project gives the federal government the ability to evaluate the performance, reliability and cost associated with converting the kinetic energy from waves into a renewable power source.