By: Robert S Weinroth
System Improvements shows company’s ongoing commitment to building a stronger, smarter energy grid
For more than 15 years, Florida Power & Light Company has been enhancing the energy grid, making it stronger, smarter and more storm-resilient to keep the lights on for customers in good weather and bad. Customers can quickly and easily see these improvements within their neighborhood by using FPL’s 2021 System Improvements Map at fplmaps.com
This online, interactive map allows customers to enter their addresses to find projects FPL has scheduled in their area in the year ahead. The map lists projects such as strengthening power lines and poles, clearing trees near power lines and installing smart grid technology that helps predict and prevent power outages and restore service faster when outages occur.
The improvements are part of the more than $5 billion FPL has invested since the destructive 2004-05 hurricane seasons to enhance the reliability of service to customers during hurricanes and severe weather, as well as during day-to-day operations.
“We take our duty to serve customers extremely seriously, especially amid the global COVID-19 pandemic, which has reaffirmed the need for and importance of reliable electricity,” said FPL President and CEO Eric Silagy. “FPL has increased day-to-day service reliability by more than 30% in the past decade, in part due to smart devices, and we will continue to embrace emerging technology to find innovative ways to deliver cleaner, more reliable energy while keeping bills well below the national average.”
FPL has made several improvements since the historic 2004-2005 hurricane seasons to improve reliability for its customers, including:Strengthening nearly all of its main power lines serving critical community facilities and services, such as police and fire stations, hospitals and 911 centers.
More than 60% of all feeders, or main power lines, are hardened or underground.Installing more than 5 million smart meters and more than 155,000 intelligent devices along the energy grid using advanced technology that helps detect problems and restore service faster if outages occur.
Proactively reviewing about 15,000 miles of power lines each year and trimming and removing vegetation where necessary to keep lines clear and help prevent outages. Beginning our second eight-year inspection cycle of the company’s 1.2 millionpower poles and upgrading or replacing those that no longer meet FPL’s standards for strength (approximately 150,000 poles inspected annually).
Continuing the replacement of wooden transmission structures with new ones made of steel or concrete; 96% of transmission structures are now steel or concrete, and by 2022 100% will be steel or concrete.
Moving power lines as part of the Storm Secure Underground Pilot Program, which is determining cost-effective ways to replace overhead power lines with more reliable underground lines in select neighborhoods to enhance reliability in good weather and bad. In Hurricane Irma, they saw that neighborhood underground power lines performed 85% better than overhead power lines. “We continue to build one of the nation’s strongest and most storm-resilient energy grids by making smart, long-term investments that benefit our customers as we deliver reliable and affordable electricity they rely upon,” said Silagy.