JUNO BEACH, Fla., Jan. 29, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) today announced that it has been awarded two prestigious electric utility industry awards for the company's comprehensive smart grid program. FPL received the "Smart Grid Project of the Year" and "Renewable Energy Integration Project of the Year" awards from the editors of POWERGRID International magazine on Jan. 27 at the 2014 DistribuTECH conference, in San Antonio, Texas. FPL earned two of the four major awards presented annually at the event.

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"It's extremely gratifying to have FPL's smart grid program recognized as the very best of its kind in the nation," said Eric Silagy, president of FPL. "At FPL, we're committed to continually enhancing the value we provide our customers, which includes superior reliability, award-winning customer service, and importantly, the lowest residential electric bill in Florida. The extensive smart grid technologies that FPL has deployed improve everyday reliability while giving customers unprecedented control over their energy use and monthly bills."

FPL earned the Smart Grid Project of the Year award for its "Reaping the Benefits of the Smart Grid" entry, which summarized the success of the company's $800 million power grid modernization program. The initiative included the installation of 4.5 million smart meters, more than 10,000 intelligent devices on FPL's power grid, and enhanced digital technology at nearly 600 power substations. The technology enables the company to prevent many power outages, restore service faster when outages occur, and give customers access to FPL's online "energy dashboard," which enables them to better manage their energy use and costs.

The Renewable Energy Integration Project of the Year award recognized FPL's "Smart Island Detection System," which monitors, in real-time, the flow of electricity from renewable energy sources interconnected to the power distribution grid. The technology ensures that major fluctuations in electricity flow do not adversely affect the customer's or the company's equipment. The monitoring devices are currently in operation at three FPL substations that receive electricity generated at two landfills and a biomass facility. 

Florida Power & Light Company
Florida Power & Light Company is the largest rate-regulated electric utility in Florida and serves the third-largest number of customers of any electric utility in the United States. FPL serves approximately 4.6 million customer accounts and is a leading Florida employer with approximately 10,000 employees as of year-end 2012. During the five-year period ended December 31, 2012, the company delivered the best service reliability among Florida investor-owned utilities. As of year-end 2012, its typical residential customer bills are the lowest in Florida, and based on data available in July 2012, are about 26 percent below the national average. A clean energy leader, FPL has one of the lowest emissions profiles and one of the leading energy efficiency programs among utilities nationwide. FPL is a subsidiary of Juno Beach, Fla.-based NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE). For more information, visit www.FPL.com.

SOURCE Florida Power & Light Company