As scientists and entrepreneurs turn their sights to natural phenomena such as the sun and wind to alleviate the nation's dependence on fossil fuels, some New Englanders -- well versed in both the power and fury of the sea -- are turning their attention to the oceans to help solve the problem.

Maine and Rhode Island are among the states that have shown interest in examining the possibilities of ocean-generated power. Fall River's Ocean Renewable Power Co. LLC recently secured the necessary permits in Maine for a test of its tidal power system, which uses the ebb and flow of the tides to turn a turbine much like wind turns a windmill to generate electricity.

The device was placed into the water last month, about the same time the company landed $1 million in bridge financing from California's Quercus Trust. The tidal test run is set to operate for several weeks, with results eyed as incentive for a larger round of funding later in the year, said officials.

In Rhode Island, state officials recently signed a deal with Australia's Oceanlinx Ltd. to install a wave power unit off the Ocean State's coast. The deal includes a provision to add new units if the pilot is successful, with the aim of eventually generating 15 megawatts to 20 megawatts of power.

Two other local startups -- Bristol, R.I.'s Ocean Wave Energy Co. and Fall River's Resolute Marine Energy Inc. -- are developing wave technologies officials hope could provide additional grid-based power in the near future. Both are working with wave power, which differs from tidal power in that it uses the wave motions on the surface to move a buoy or series of gates to generate power.

Roger Bedard, head of the ocean energy department of the Electric Power Research Institute in California, said the ocean holds promise for generating on-grid power, but is still in its earliest stages.

"If you covered 15 percent of the U.S. coastline with wave power systems (society is never going to allow coverage of the entire coastline), it could generate 6 percent of the nation's current power needs," he said.

However, Bedard also said ocean power is a long-term project, and he doesn't expect to see a fully functioning, 100 megawatt plant on line for at least 10 years. What's more, the cost of full deployment is still an unknown, partly because equipment makers are dealing with an unpredictable environment, as Ocean Renewable Power discovered last December, when its Maine test was delayed because of bad weather.

"The energy density of the ocean is much more significant than solar or wind, and that makes it actually cheaper to deploy," said Bedard. "It's the operation, installation and maintenance costs that are still unknown."

All three firms are also working with the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, either through the school's Fall River-based Advanced Technology and Manufacturing Center or its School for Marine Science and Technology.

William Staby, former Ocean Wave consultant and founder of Resolute Marine Energy, said other schools and organizations are also working with local entrepreneurs. The success of these types of collaborations, he said, is what could make New England a leading alternative-energy cluster.

"Within 100 miles of Boston lies probably the greatest concentration of ocean sciences and ocean engineering research in the world, including MIT, Woods Hole, URI, UNH and UMass Dartmouth," said Staby.