An executive with the New Jersey company that makes wave buoys like this was in Portland last year to tell officials the Oregon Coast is perfect for catching wave energy. A newly released survey finds coastal residents like wave energy, too.
Ocean Powers Technology
Residents along the Oregon Coast are big supporters of wave energy, according to survey results released Thursday.
Developers have identified Oregon as one of the best places in the United States to install wave energy buoys.
The survey asked coastal 400 residents, from Tillamook to Brookings, what they thought of building new infrastructure in the ocean to capture energy from waves.
Seventy-eight percent said they supported more development. Support dropped to 61 percent when people were asked about development in their communities. Adam Davis is with DHM research, the firm that conducted the poll. Davis says wave energy appeals to Oregonians for three reasons.
“a clean source of energy that’s better for the environment would be number one, number two would be it helps to make us more energy independent, and three would be jobs,” he said.
The survey was paid for by the Oregon Wave Energy Trust, a non-profit group that's promoting the technology. The trust is sponsoring a conference this week in Portland on wave energy.
Little is known about the impact of wave energy technology on fish and other marine life.