Advanced Technologies

The Door Opens Wider for Dual Use

AN EXCLUSIVE LICENSE HAS BEEN GRANTED to a New Jersey company to further develop more commercial applications and wider uses for one of NASA's most widely adopted "spinoff" technologies—the power factor controller. This device is used in countless homes and businesses today as a means for efficient electrical energy conservation.

"Initially, more than 20 companies sought and were granted nonexclusive licenses for commercial use of the invention," said Bob Broad, chief intellectual property counsel at Marshall Space Flight Center. "NASA believes Power Efficiency Corp., one of the first companies to hold a nonexclusive license agreement, has distinguished itself and demonstrated the commitment necessary to develop the technology further."

An exclusive licensing agreement signed between NASA and Power Efficiency Corporation of Hackensack, New Jersey, could make wider use and further conservation of scarce energy resources possible.

The power factor controller senses the amount of power needed by an electric motor. The device then varies the power according to the need. Laboratory tests show the controller can trim power usage by 6 to 8 percent under normal demand conditions and by as much as 65 percent when a motor is idling.

Invented by now-retired NASA engineer Frank Nola for the space program in the early 1980s at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, the power factor controller, with its remarkable potential for energy savings, quickly became one of NASA's most widely adopted "spinoff" technologies. It was incorporated into machines ranging from household refrigerators and washing machines to typewriters, kidney dialysis and industrial drilling machines, as well as scores of other commercial products.

Nicholas Anderson, president of Power Efficiency Corp., said, "Our success in marketing our energy-saving motor controllers is directly attributed to the relationship developed over the years between Power Efficiency Corp. and NASA. This relationship proves that great benefits can occur when individuals and government work together to develop technologies that reduce energy consumption."

Under the terms of the agreement, Power Efficiency will pay royalties to NASA and inventor Frank Nola until 2001, when the patent and the exclusive licensing agreement expire.

For more information, contact Bob Lessels at Marshall Space Flight Center.
Call: 256/544-6539, Fax: 256/544-4810, E-mail: Bob.Lessels@msfc.nasa.gov
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Diagram shows how circuit and motor components interface with power factor controller device.