Posted by Heidi Schwartz
In late April 2013, GE and Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) celebrated the fourth anniversary and completion of Energy Smart Florida (ESF), an initiative implemented to modernize the grid and build out a more reliable and efficient electrical infrastructure. GE helped FPL achieve two important milestones in the final phase of ESF: the installation of 4.5 million smart meters across its 35-county service territory and the successful completion of grid modernization projects funded by a grant FPL received from the U.S. Department of Energy. With GE’s help, FPL created a highly integrated, advanced, modern grid that helps prevent outages, restore power more quickly and empower FPL’s customers to take control of their energy use.
“Florida Power & Light is an excellent example of a utility that took a thoughtful, holistic approach to modernizing its grid,” said John Lavelle, CEO, GE’s Digital Energy business. “Through its grid projects—from substation upgrades to the installation of 4.5 million GE smart meters—FPL has been able to improve reliability, prevent outages and detect problems. These are goals we strive for with all of our utility customers.”
In 2009, FPL received a $200 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to help fund Energy Smart Florida and $600 million in grid improvements throughout FPL’s 35-county service territory. At the start of Energy Smart Florida, FPL enlisted GE to perform 145 substation upgrades, which are helping to improve the grid’s reliability and anticipate system disturbances. Additionally, FPL has installed more than 4.5 million GE smart meters.
“FPL is committed to always finding new ways to improve the service and value we provide to our customers,” said Bryan Olnick, FPL’s vice president of customer service smart grid solutions. “By installing world-class equipment and working with technology partners like GE, we are creating a modern and resilient infrastructure, while providing valuable energy information to our customers and increasing the efficiency and reliability of our network.”
