Florida Power & Light Company (FPL), the principal subsidiary of NextEra Energy, is planning to build the world’s largest solar-powered battery system in the US.
With a 409MW capacity, the future FPL Manatee Energy Storage Center is reported to be part of the company’s innovative modernisation plan that will fast-track the retirement of two natural gas-fired generation units.
The new energy storage centre is claimed to have four times larger energy storing capacity in comparison to the world’s largest battery system currently in operation.
FPL president and CEO Eric Silagy said: “This is a monumental milestone in realising the full benefits of solar power and yet another example of how FPL is working hard to position Florida as the global gold standard for clean energy.
“Even as we aggressively execute on our plan to install 30 million solar panels by 2030, we never lose sight of finding innovative ways to bring our customers the benefits of solar energy, even when the sun’s not shining.
“Replacing a large, ageing fossil fuel plant with a mega battery that’s adjacent to a large solar plant is another world-first accomplishment and while I’m very pleased of that fact, what I’m most proud of is that our team remained committed to developing this clean energy breakthrough while saving customers money and keeping their bills among the lowest in the nation.”
Expected to commence its commercial operations in 2021, the new facility will be charged by an existing FPL solar power plant in Manatee County.
The storage project is expected to result in more than $100m in savings for customers, apart from avoiding one million tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
In addition to the energy storage system in Manatee County, NextEra Energy’s principal subsidiary is planning to develop solar power plants and smaller battery installations across the state.
It is also planning to upgrade combustion turbines at other power plants to replace the 1,638MW generating capacity.
