This year during Public Power Week (Oct. 1 – 7, 2023), the Florida Municipal Electric Association (FMEA) is highlighting the infrastructure investments Florida public power utilities have made in their communities and the impacts these investments have had on power restoration following hurricanes and major storms.
“The infrastructure investment Florida’s public power utilities are making are not only strengthening their communities now, but are also building for the future so they can continue to provide reliable, affordable, sustainable, and customer-focused service to their communities,” said Amy Zubaly, FMEA Executive Director. “These investments have already paid dividends during recent hurricane seasons as public power utilities were able to quickly restore power to customers following powerful storms. Just recently, in the aftermath of Hurricane Idalia, Florida public power had restored power to nearly all of its impacted customers within 48 hours.”
Florida public power utilities have spent millions of dollars every year on infrastructure investments to bolster reliability, boost resiliency and build a next-generation smart grid. These investments strengthen the electric system and help it better manage fast-growing demands while reducing power outages.
Investments in Reliability
Investing in advanced technology is critical to improving reliability and modernizing the electric grid. Examples of some of the technology public power utilities are using include smart grid devices called TripSavers, which automatically detect and can clear problems that can cause power outages without having to send lineworkers to the scene. Public power utilities are also using drones to inspect power lines and other critical infrastructure often in hard-to-reach and hazardous areas.
Along with the investments in smart grid technology, Florida public power utilities have made significant investments in infrastructure projects, such as undergrounding power lines, installing new substations and circuits, and replacing and upgrading utility poles, transformers and breakers.
Investments in Resiliency
Florida public power utilities are working hard to ensure their systems and employees are prepared to restore power as quickly and safely as possible regardless of the type of outage event. By using apps with the latest GIS mapping technology public power utilities can conduct storm damage assessments and pinpoint outages faster. Investments in new software also enable public power utilities to help protect the electric grid and prepare for different kinds of cyber events.
Investments in Smarter Systems
Florida public power utilities are investing in grid-modernization technologies to keep up with customers’ ever-changing and growing energy needs. Advanced metering infrastructure that uses a network of smart meters, sensors and other data management technology facilitates two-way communication between utilities and customers. Additionally, smart meters can identify outages and restore power more quickly while also allowing customers to better manage energy consumption to save money.
Not-for-profit public power utilities offer many benefits to the communities and customers they serve because they are locally owned, locally controlled and locally operated. Residents in public power communities can depend on affordable, reliable and environmentally responsible power. They also have control of their energy future because they have a say in the decisions made about their local electric utility.
There are 2,000 public power communities across the country, which serve 49 million customers and employ 93,000 people. Florida has 33 public power utilities that serve more than 3 million people and employ more than 5,000 Floridians.
Public Power Week is recognized during the first full week of October every year to celebrate our customers and community, while helping them understand the importance of public power, how they can better engage with their community-owned utility and benefit from its offerings.
For more information on FMEA and Florida’s public power communities, please visit www.flpublicpower.com.
