World's largest solar-powered battery system to be build in USA

The Florida Power & Light Company (FPL), part of the Nextera Energy Group, has announced its plans to build the 409 MW Manatee Energy Storage Center in the Manatee County, state of Florida, USA. The project will be the world's largest solar-powered battery system. The plan is part of a modernization initiative to accelerate the retirement of 2 natural gas generating units at the firm's neighboring Manatee Power Plant built in 1970s.

The facility is scheduled to begin serving customers in late 2021 and will be charged by the existing FPL solar plant in Manatee County, Florida. The battery storage system will be able to store 900 MWh of electricity and will be able to power 329,000 homes for 2 hours.

The president and CEO of FPL stated, "This is a monumental milestone in realizing the full benefits of solar power and yet another example of how FPL is working hard to position Florida as the global gold standard for clean energy. Even as we aggressively execute on our plan to install 30 million solar panels by 2030, we never lose sight of finding innovative ways to bring our customers the benefits of solar energy, even when the sun's not shining. Replacing a large, aging fossil fuel plant with a mega battery that's adjacent to a large solar plant is another world-first accomplishment and while I'm very pleased of that fact, what I'm most proud of is that our team remained committed to developing this clean energy breakthrough while saving customers money and keeping their bills among the lowest in the nation."

The company is also planning smaller battery installations across the region, solar power plants and upgrades to existing turbines at other power plants to replace the 1,638 MW of generating capacity provided by the units to be retired. The company estimates the project will save customers more than US$ 100 million and eliminate more than 1 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions.