Florida Power and Light installs first of more than 50,000 battery modules in world’s largest solar battery
Florida Power and Light Company (FPL) achieved a major milestone last week in its work on the world’s largest solar-powered battery, installing the first of its more than 50,000 battery modules and bringing the project itself to three-fourths completion.
“With one milestone after another, FPL is following through on its steadfast commitment to make Florida a leader in sustainability and resiliency as we consistently deliver America’s best energy value – electricity that’s not just clean and reliable, but also affordable,” Eric Silagy, FPL president and CEO, said. “In June, we said goodbye to coal by dismantling FPL’s last coal plant in Florida just as we surpassed 40% of the way toward completing our ’30-by-30’ plan to install 30 million solar panels by 2030. Soon, the world’s largest solar-powered battery will begin serving customers, and we’ll turn our attention to an innovative green hydrogen pilot project – which could unlock the potential for a 100% carbon-free energy future.”
Previous work has seen 100 of 132 total containers and all 132 inverters installed in the FPL Manatee Energy Storage Center, which will host 409 MW of capacity when complete. That means it will be capable of delivering 900 MW hours of energy, or the equivalent of powering 329,000 homes for more than two hours.
This facility will also charge the battery component, and FPL will pull from the battery when there is a higher demand for electricity. In turn, this will offset the need for running other power plants, which will help cut emissions and avoid added fuel costs. The battery system will sprawl across 40 acres of land once complete, with each of its 132 containers holding approximately 400 battery modules. All will be charged by Manatee.
Deployment of battery storage like this will become ever more important for FPL as it continues its solar push. By 2030, it expects to deploy another 700 MW of battery storage. However, its system at Manatee is expected to come online by the end of the year.
