Duke Energy Florida announced two new lithium-ion battery sites in Alachua and Hamilton counties to enhance grid operations and increase efficiency.
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.
Micanopy battery site in Alachua County is 8.25 megawatts and is located 15 miles southwest of Gainesville. The site provides a cost-effective solution for focused power quality and reliability for the town of Micanopy and nearby neighbors.
The second site is 5.5 megawatts and is located 1.5 miles south of the Florida-Georgia border in the town of Jennings in Hamilton County.
Earlier this year, Duke Energy Florida completed three battery projects in Gilchrist, Gulf and Highlands counties. The new sites are part of Duke Energy’s commitment to have six battery sites, totaling 50 megawatts, in operation in Florida this year.
Duke Energy Florida’s solar generation portfolio will include 25 grid-tied solar power plants that will provide 1,500 megawatts of emission-free generation and approximately 5 million solar panels in the ground by 2024. Duke Energy has made an investment of more than $2 billion in Florida.
Duke Energy will add a 3.5 MW solar plus storage microgrid site at Pinellas County’s John Hopkins Middle School. The microgrid consists of a 1-megawatt solar parking canopy array, a 2.5-megawatt battery and associated controls.
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.
Duke Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, owns 10,300 megawatts of energy capacity, supplying electricity to 1.9 million residential, commercial and industrial customers across a 13,000-square-mile service area in Florida.