Center pivot technology is a primary method for irrigating farmland. Center pivots cover the
largest proportion of acreage of pressurized irrigation in the Pacific Northwest. However, the
pivot itself is part of a larger system. When the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA)
Agricultural Irrigation Initiative began in Walla Walla, Washington in November 2011, the
attendees (including growers, irrigation vendors, consultants, utility representatives, and NEEA
staff) drew their version of a complete system, shown in Figure 1 below. This image illustrates
that the center pivot connects to pumping systems, weather systems, data systems (local and
remote), telemetry systems, and control systems. The center pivot, while at the heart of the
irrigation system, relies upon an entire set of intersecting systems, controls, and data
connections