The US Airforce has selected IBM to provide software to maximize energy efficiency across its entire infrastructure in 170 locations around the world.
IBM’s smarter buildings software will be used by US Airforce civil engineers to maximize energy efficiency and automate management of its physical infrastructure portfolio – buildings, vehicles, runways, etc.
The Airforce’s physical portfolio has over 626 million square feet of real estate, over 100 million square yards of airfield pavement and 10 million acres of land used by Active Duty, Reserve and Air National Guard personnel.
In May, 2011, IBM acquired software developer Tririga, which helps optimize building efficiency by analyzing building conditions and prioritizing upgrades. It also monitor’s a facility’s environmental impact to pinpoint systems that need improvement.
Now called IBM TRIRIGA, the software will provide the Air Force with a standardized technology platform to analyze data about real property assets, streamline work orders and suppliers, and reduce energy use across thousands of buildings.
"IBM TRIRIGA software will help implement our NexGen IT vision and give USAF a data-driven approach to manage its real property and physical assets, as well as help us predict issues before they impact service and safety," said Alexander Earle, Chief Information Officer, Air Force Office of the Civil Engineer. "Implementing IBM TRIRIGA will help strengthen our IT infrastructure by removing redundant systems, providing real-time analytics and optimizing core processes that enable us to make better decisions about how we manage our resources."
Using the software, the Airforce plans to reduce operating costs, increase return on budget and reduce energy consumption through:
- Integrated Workplace Management: Provides a single system to optimize performance of all real estate locations, assets and personnel operations. By optimizing building use, occupancy costs are reduced, lease administration is made easier, and managers can evaluate future space requirements to make long-term planning decisions.
- Energy Assessment Tools: Enables users to obtain environmental insights and pre-defined, automated operational procedures and processes to monitor and reduce energy consumption as well as waste production from real property assets operations.
- Condition-based Maintenance: Better manages the maintenance of property and equipment based on the age, condition and history of facilities. Having this insight can prevent costly repairs by allowing staff to pinpoint equipment that should be replaced before incidents occur.
The Dept of Defense is committed to getting 25% of its energy from renewables by 2025, the Air Force plans to use biofuels for 50% of domestic aviation by 2016 and the Navy will reduce fuel consumption on ships 15% by 2020.
"Smarter Planet" projects are a key strategic growth area for IBM, estimated to drive $10 billion in revenue by 2015.
IBM is also putting its software to work on behalf of wave energy and the "smart energy cloud" in the UK.
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