FPL bets $200M on Miami 'smart grid' project
Florida Power & Light Co. is spearheading a $200 million project to supply Miami-Dade County with power-monitoring and renewable-energy technologies during the next two years.
Florida Power & Light Co. is spearheading a $200 million project to supply Miami-Dade County with power-monitoring and renewable-energy technologies during the next two years.
The initiative, called Energy Smart Miami, calls for installing more than 1 million "smart" meters in every home and most businesses in the county during the next two years. The meters, supplied by General Electric Co., would enable FPL and its customers to track and adjust electricity supply and demand.
Silver Spring Networks and Cisco Systems Inc. will supply the county with additional grid communications software, hardware and support, company executives announced yesterday in Miami, alongside Mayor Manny Diaz.
"When you wake up in the morning, your energy display will show how much energy you used the day before," said Lew Hay III, chairman and CEO of FPL Group Inc., Florida Power & Light's parent company.
FPL plans to add 300 plug-in, hybrid-electric vehicles to its county fleet and build 50 charging stations. The city of Miami, the University of Miami, Miami Dade College and Florida International University will test additional plug-in vehicles.
Finally, FPL will supply Miami Dade College and other schools with solar photovoltaic panels and battery installations to store power for use during times of peak demand, Hay said.
"The Energy Smart Miami initiative is an investment in the future of our city ... and is an important step toward creating the green jobs of the future and building a clean-energy economy," Diaz said.
FPL plans to seek federal stimulus funds from the U.S. Department of Energy to cover a portion of Energy Smart Miami's $200 million cost, Hay said.
FPL plans to expand the project to more than 4 million homes in Florida during the next five years. The expansion is expected to cost another $500 million.