The National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) has installed an enterprise energy management (EEM) system to control power usage and reduce costs at its Ames Research Center facility near San Francisco, California, U.S.

Designed by Jacobs Sverdrup (Tullahoma, Tennessee, U.S.), the Ames Power Monitoring System (APMS) monitors power usage throughout the center, including the facility's three large wind tunnels, used regularly for aeronautic research and development testing.

Manufactured by Power Measurement (British Columbia, Canada), the system uses ION Enterprise software installed on more than a dozen PC workstations, combined with approximately a hundred ION 7330 and ION 7700 meters (at full implementation), to help facility personnel manage and schedule real-time and future energy usage.

The EEM system helps the center avoid costly demand penalties by enabling wind-tunnel operators, test engineers and power managers to monitor total demand for the center in real time.

Personnel receive the information they need to schedule energy-intensive procedures in advance, and to vary loads in real-time to ensure the facility does not exceed the maximum allowable demand level.

Since the deployment of the APMS, Ames Center has achieved significant energy cost savings by helping facility personnel to maintain integrated demand below monthly allowable levels, manage overall power factor (PF) to avoid low PF penalties, and use historical system data to identify opportunities for additional energy savings.

The system also provides power engineers and electricians with the information they need to perform advanced modifications and day-to-day maintenance of the center's electrical distribution system.
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