US Department of Energy (DOE) has released a video to give us a 360° peek at one of the largest indoor wave facilities in the world – the MASK Basin.
US Navy’s Maneuvering and Seakeeping (MASK) Basin at Naval Surface Warfare Center in Carderock is being used by US Energy Department’s efforts to accelerate the development of wave energy in the country.
The facility is 360 feet long, 240 feet wide, and is equipped with wave maker that is capable of making precise waves for hours, according to DOE.
The basin is no stranger to wave energy research. The facility’s ocean engineers built a dedicated structure specifically for wave energy converter (WEC) device testing and hosted the Energy Department’s Wave Energy Prize competition.
The competition resulted in four teams meeting the public prize challenge’s goal of doubling the performance potential of wave energy devices, with one team making a five-fold improvement.
Also, it serves as a testing ground for wave energy researchers from Sandia National Laboratories.
If successful, this technology could one day power millions of US homes, businesses, remote communities, and even military bases by harnessing the energy potential of ocean waves, according to DOE.