Since
1997, FPL has reduced the number of service interruptions for its
customers by 15 percent. FPL is the only one of the 55 utilities in
the state to have a research lab to simulate lightning and its
potential impact in this manner.
Juno
Beach, FL (July 27, 2012) -- A team of engineers at Florida
Power & Light Company works
diligently to protect the electric grid from one very persistent and
potentially destructive foe: lightning.
Florida
sustains more lightning strikes than any other state in the U.S., and
more than almost any country, too (second only to Rwanda, the world’s
lightning capital). Within FPL’s 35-county service territory, there
are approximately 250,000 lightning strikes each year. That
“striking” distinction puts Florida’s electric infrastructure
under siege. When a lightning bolt hits electrical equipment, it can
cause power outages and flickers.
At
a high-voltage “Lightning Lab” within FPL’s Reliability
Assurance Center in Riviera Beach, Fla., engineers test equipment and
research ways to reduce lightning’s impact on the grid, ultimately
helping to reduce the number and duration of power outages. The
engineering team tests the performance of its own equipment and
insulators in the lab by zapping them with up to 2 million volts of
electricity. Experimenting with simulated lightning allows the team
to gather detailed data about the effects of lightning on FPL
equipment and helps it discover ways to prevent future
lightning-related problems.
“This
is the one center to handle product evaluation, forensic and
application research needs,” said FPL Reliability Assurance Center
Manager John Fischer. “It is a hub where experts can do hands-on
analysis and subject matter experts can quickly get analytic
capabilities. During my 40 years at FPL as an engineer, I've used
this lab many times on complex issues and would not have been able to
find solutions without the range of advanced possibilities here.”
Since
1997, FPL has reduced the number of service interruptions for its
customers by 15 percent.
FPL
is the only one of the 55 utilities in the state to have a research
lab to simulate lightning and its potential impact in this manner.
Fischer says this is one of the ways FPL is able to provide its
customers with reliable service the lowest bill in the state.
“The
lightning lab, the entire Reliability Assurance Center and the
talented engineers and experts who work here are definitely a benefit
to our customers both in ensuring reliable service and keeping costs
down,” Fischer said.
To
view photos, please visit http://www.fpl.com/newsroom.
Media
Contact:
FPL
Media Line
Florida
Power & Light Company
700
Universe Blvd.
Juno
Beach, FL 33408
305-552-3888
