Florida Power and Light spends $800 million on smart grid project

SUBNET Solutions Inc | Monday, May 06, 2013

Utilities around the country are beginning to understand the importance of investing in smart grid technologies and appropriately installing them efficiently.

One of the most recent successful smart grid deployments has come from Florida Power and Light, which completed a project four years in the making that had a price tag of $800 million, according to the Florida Sun-Sentinel. While this may seem like a massive undertaking, the company was able to complete the project nine months before the original completion date. 

The news source stated that about 25 percent of the costs were covered by a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, which is working to spur greater adoption of the smart grid. 

"Department of Energy funding … is helping utilities and system operators across the nation get a faster, more accurate picture of the status of the grid, allowing them to respond more quickly and efficiently when disruptions occur," said U.S. Assistant Secretary of Energy Patricia Hoffman.

Across the country in California, Pacific Gas and Electric is also in the middle of a major smart grid transformation, which is expected to better connect utilities, customers and all of the grid assets between the two parties. 

SUBNET can significantly lower the costs and duration of smart grid installations. 

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