AbstractThe renewable energy is nowadays in growing interest for the developing countries. Sea waves are an important source to produce clean energy. In Lebanon, the application of wave and tidal energy is not yet developed. The aim of this work is to design a high-efficiency system that harvests the sea wave energy to produce electrical power. A novel concept of a mechanical system will be presented in details. This system benefits from the transverse motion of waves and converts it into electrical power. The proposed wave converter consists of a flat plate to which two double acting piston-cylinder assemblies are connected. When submerged under water, the system exploits the drag experienced by the plate to operate the double-acting cylinders and pump water through a hydraulic circuit to a storage tank placed at a higher elevation. After reaching this tank, the water is directed to a hydro turbine generator placed at a lower elevation and electric power is produced. A prototype is built and successfully tested on the Lebanese shore.