FPL receives international award for state-of-the-art smart grid technology
Florida Power & Light Company’s (FPL) Automated Fault Mapping Prediction System project was recognized with an Award of Excellence by the International Smart Grid Action Network (ISGAN), an organization that brings together governments and their stakeholders to accelerate the development and deployment of smarter electricity grids worldwide through dynamic knowledge sharing, peer exchange, tool development and project coordination.
“We’re honored that our work to build a stronger and smarter energy grid for Florida is being recognized,” said Eric Silagy, president and CEO for FPL. “Innovative projects like this help us deliver reliable service to our customers year-round. Leveraging advanced solutions such as the Automated Fault Mapping Prediction System, gives us unprecedented visibility across the grid so we can more quickly detect and prevent many issues before they become problems for our customers.”
The project used smart grid data integration to direct crews to the location of a power line problem faster – resulting in fewer customers affected by outages.
“This award is a reflection of our team of innovators’ diligent work to implement smart grid solutions that continue to improve the service we provide our customers,” said Manny Miranda, senior vice president of Power Delivery for FPL. “We have made remarkable strides in our ability to monitor and manage the energy grid today compared to just a few years ago, helping us deliver greater reliability in good weather and bad.”
Advanced technology is helping FPL reduce costs and improve system reliability, which is the best in Florida and among the best in the nation – nearly 50% better than the national average. Over the past five years, smart grid technology has helped FPL improve its service reliability by more than 25%. For several years, FPL has been investing in advanced smart grid technology and using predictive analytics to deliver real-time data directly to technicians in the field and engineers in the company’s diagnostic centers. Engineers, in turn, analyze the data to measure and improve electric grid performance. In fact, smart grid technology is increasingly helping FPL identify power outages, often times before they occur, further improving service restoration times and operational efficiencies.
Some of the benefits of a smarter grid for customers are: enhanced detection and prevention of outages; faster response time when outages occur; reduced operating costs through increased efficiencies; and more information and customer control than ever before.
The ISGAN Award of Excellence is given to one or more exemplary global smart grid projects each year at the conclusion of an annual international awards competition. Award of Excellence projects are judged by several criteria including innovation, economic rationale and reliability improvements. This award comes on the heels of FPL’s nuclear power plants being recognized with the Nuclear Energy Institute’s 2016 top innovation award for pioneering a unique program that significantly improves plant performance