-Sites in Gilchrist, Gulf, Highlands counties to store nearly 34 megawatts of electricity.
-Energy storage supports reliability, grid operations, critical services.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – WEBWIRE – Friday, March 11, 2022
Delivering on the companys commitment to expand battery energy storage technology in Florida, Duke Energy today announced the completion of three battery projects in Gilchrist, Gulf and Highlands counties.
Totaling nearly 34 megawatts, the recently completed facilities will enhance the customer experience by continuing to modernize grid operations, improve overall reliability and support critical services during power outages.
Duke Energy Florida is committed to a clean energy future for our customers and communities, said Melissa Seixas, Duke Energy Florida state president. With each new battery site, Duke Energy takes another important step in expanding new storage technologies in Florida while maximizing benefits to our customers and the grid.
As the grid manager and operator, Duke Energy Florida can optimize the versatility of battery technology to provide multiple customer and electric system benefits, to include balancing energy demand, managing intermittent resources such as solar energy, increasing energy security and deferring traditional power grid upgrades.
- The nearly 18-megawatt lithium battery site is located at the companys 45-megawatt Lake Placid Solar Power Plant in Highlands County. The addition of battery storage to the utility-scale solar plant is the first of its kind for Duke Energy Florida, allowing solar energy to be dispatchable by the companys grid operators, which improves overall plant efficiency.
- The 11-megawatt Trenton lithium battery facility is located 30 miles west of Gainesville in Gilchrist County. This newer technology will improve power reliability.
- The 5.5-megawatt Cape San Blas lithium battery facility is located approximately 40 miles southeast of Panama City in Gulf County. The project provides additional power capacity to meet customers increasing demand for energy. This project is an economical alternative to replacing distribution equipment necessary to accommodate local growth.
Duke Energy Floridas continued investment in battery technology reflects the companys belief that energy storage plays a significant and evolving role in how energy is delivered to customers now and in the future.
In 2022, Duke Energy will have six battery sites in operation in Florida totaling 50 megawatts of energy storage.
Duke Energy Floridas commitment to renewable energy
With a combined investment of more than $2 billion, Duke Energy Floridas solar generation portfolio will include 25 grid-tied solar power plants which will benefit all Florida customers and will provide 1,500 megawatts of emission-free generation and approximately 5 million solar panels in the ground by 2024.
Duke Energy remains committed to the deployment of battery technology in Florida. A 3.5-megawatt solar plus storage microgrid site will be added at Pinellas Countys John Hopkins Middle School. The microgrid will support grid operations and provide backup electric power to the school when it must operate as a special needs hurricane evacuation shelter. The microgrid consists of a 1-megawatt solar parking canopy array and a 2.5-megawatt battery and controls, which will store and deploy clean, renewable energy to the school and grid. The project enhances electric service and grid operations for customers.
In addition to expanding its battery storage technology and solar investments, Duke Energy Florida is investing in transportation electrification to support the growing U.S. adoption of electric vehicles (EV) through the addition of 627 EV charging stations, including 52 DC Fast Chargers, and a modernized power grid to deliver diverse and reliable energy solutions to best serve our customers.
Duke Energy Florida
Duke Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), owns a diverse generation mix of natural gas, coal and renewables, providing about 10,200 megawatts of owned electric capacity to approximately 1.9 million customers in a 13,000-square-mile service area.