energynow
Vol. 3 No. 5
A publication for and about employees of NextEra Energy, Inc., companies
Inside
This Issue
2
Leadership Perspective:
FPL quarterly business update
3
Leadership Perspective: Energy
Resources quarterly business update
4
Irene White, FPL director of Employee & Customer Support for Distribution, explains the company’s simulated system response to an audience of local emergency
operations officials and media representatives during the May Hurricane Gale drill.
Mock Hurricanes Gale and Hunter
test FPL’s readiness
For the first time ever, Florida Power & Light is testing its storm
readiness not once, but twice in one season, with two mock
hurricanes – Gale and Hunter.
The company’s long-term plan to deliver
reliable electric service includes the
following activities in 2011:
“We have been fortunate not to have had a significant hurricane
impact on our system since Wilma in 2005,” said FPL President
and CEO Armando Olivera. “But it only takes one storm to
change everything, and we must be ready to respond.”
»» Clearing tree limbs and branches
from approximately 12,000 miles of
power lines.
In May, thousands of employees across FPL’s service territory
exercised their storm processes as mock Hurricane Gale
made landfall as a Category 3 in Miami-Dade County. Local
emergency operations officials, media and others visited FPL’s
Physical Distribution Center (PDC) in Riviera Beach, Fla., to
observe employees as they simulated a system response.
Nationally recognized for its storm restoration expertise, FPL
prepares year-round for hurricane season, conducting extensive
training so employees can respond safely and as quickly as
possible if a storm threatens its service territory.
This year, FPL is further strengthening its storm response with the
addition of a Category 5-rated Area Command Center, located
adjacent to the company’s PDC. Coinciding with the opening
of the center in July, the company will hold a second storm drill.
Drill exercises in response to mock Hurricane Hunter will help
to ensure the Area Command Center is even more robust than
the legacy General Office Command Center and that all logistics
related to the new space are working seamlessly.
As part of other hurricane preparations, FPL has strengthened
the electrical infrastructure serving every major hospital and
acute care facility in its service territory to better withstand
severe weather. In 2010, FPL invested more than $100 million
in distribution system reliability programs and more than $45
million to strengthen the distribution system infrastructure.
Vol. 3 No. 5 | May 2011
»» Inspecting approximately 140,000
poles and completing the remaining
first cycle of inspections on
transmission structures.
»» Upgrading thousands of wood poles
and transmission structures to concrete
or steel.
»» Inspecting power lines and equipment
with advanced infrared technology.
With long-range forecasts predicting
another active hurricane season, the
overriding message from leadership is one
of preparedness.
“While we have taken important steps to
strengthen and improve the performance
of our infrastructure during storms, no
utility can ever be immune from the
forces that nature periodically throws
our way,” said Armando. “We must do
everything we can to be ready – our
customers are counting on us.”
Visit the redesigned Diversity site
at eWeb/diversity / New Code of
Business Conduct & Ethics training /
Juno Beach campus earns gold
LEED status
5
‘Make the Time’ to create a
healthier you / Employee Feature:
Channing Rollo – achieving a
mind-body balance anywhere
6
Employee Feature: Rex Filstrup –
full-time engineer, part-time hockey
player / Recognizing ZERO Today!
Rewards / Bellingham plant earns
top OSHA safety honor
7
Making a science of reliability /
What customers think of FPL’s
smart grid / Runners take part in a
relay to remember across Florida
8
The Big Picture: Quality & Safety
Expo demos ‘dummy’ driving
ENERGY now 1
Leadership Perspective:
Florida Power & Light quarterly business update
NextEra Energy, Inc., released its first-quarter
2011 earnings report in April, and at FPL,
we delivered strong results. Earnings per
share were 49 cents in the quarter, compared
with 47 cents last year. These gains are
largely driven by investments we are making
in Florida’s electrical infrastructure, which
provide important benefits for our customers.
The key drivers of growth in the quarter
were our investments in clean, efficient
power generation. We’ve invested roughly
$400 million in the Martin Next Generation
Clean Energy Center, and we are investing
approximately $900 million in West County
Energy Center Unit 3, and more than $2
billion on extended power uprates at our
Florida nuclear plants. The shareholders who
are helping to fund these projects are earning
an allowed return on their investment, which
is causing our earnings to grow.
Armando Olivera
President & CEO
Florida Power & Light Company
“In the end, the goal of FPL’s
investments and the goal of sound
utility regulation are the same: to
produce win-win scenarios that
provide FPL’s customers with
affordable and reliable service,
and shareholders with fair and
reasonable returns.
FPL is upholding its end of the
bargain. As you know, we have
the lowest residential customer
bill of all 55 utilities in Florida.
Our customers save approximately
$33 a month, or nearly $400 a
year, compared to the average
for the state. And our record is
just as strong for our commercial
customers — small businesses
save nearly $3,400 a year, and
medium-sized businesses save
$73,500 a year. We also provide
our customers with 99.98 percent
service reliability and the secondfastest restoration times of any
utility in the nation.”
2 ENERGY now
Going forward, we plan to make significant
additional investments in Florida’s electrical
system, including approximately $2.4 billion
to modernize the Cape Canaveral and Riviera
Beach power plants. The Florida Public
Service Commission (PSC) has already
approved the need for these modernized
plants, which are expected to come online
in 2013 and 2014, respectively. Once they
are complete, the PSC will need to approve
adding them to our rate base.
Delivering excellent value for customers and
strong earnings are not mutually exclusive.
To the contrary, it is precisely by investing in
projects that generate benefits for customers
that our shareholders have an opportunity to
earn a return on their money. In the end, the
goal of FPL’s investments and the goal
of sound utility regulation are the same:
to produce win-win scenarios that provide
FPL’s customers with affordable and reliable
service, and shareholders with fair and
reasonable returns.
investor in Florida, pumping $2.5 billion
into the state’s economy. We also were the
state’s single largest taxpayer at more than $1
billion, and the 20th largest company with
more than 11,000 employees.
When FPL announces earnings and you
get questions from your friends and family,
I hope you will remember that if we are
earning money, it is because we are making
significant investments in Florida’s electrical
infrastructure – investments that are growing
Florida’s economy and helping us to deliver
world-class service to our customers. That is
something every one of us can be proud of.
We had a great quarter and our employees as
a group performed very well, and I want to
take this time to say thank you. Let’s continue
to execute well on the promise we make our
customers every day: to provide good, safe,
reliable service.
In closing, I want to recognize each one of
our employees who helped in the recent
restoration effort in Alabama following the
severe storms that hit that region. It makes
me very proud to work with a team of people
who stand ready to respond – safely and
quickly. Events like these are a reminder that
in this industry we are at the whim of the
weather, and in a very short period of time,
everything can change and we must be ready
to respond.
As we begin the 2011 storm season, I thank
you for your commitment to being prepared
so we can continue to serve our customers
with excellence no matter what Mother
Nature brings our way.
Sincerely,
FPL is upholding its end of the bargain. As
you know, we have the lowest residential
customer bill of all 55 utilities in Florida. Our
customers save approximately $33 a month,
or nearly $400 a year, compared to the
average for the state. And our record is just as
strong for our commercial customers — small
businesses save nearly $3,400 a year, and
medium-sized businesses save $73,500 a year.
We also provide our customers with 99.98
percent service reliability and the secondfastest restoration times of any utility in the
nation.
And while it is not an explicit goal of utility
regulation, FPL’s investments also help
generate significant benefits for the state. In
2010, NextEra Energy was the single largest
Vol. 3 No. 5 | May 2011
Leadership Perspective:
Energy Resources quarterly business update
solar thermal arrays that will use molten-salt
storage to extend the hours they are able
to generate electricity. The line of credit
limits our financial exposure associated with
potential future changes in the Spanish
renewable tariff to an amount significantly
less than the capital cost of the projects. This was a significant effort, and I want to
congratulate NextEra Energy Treasurer
Paul Cutler, his team and many others
for getting this done.
I am also very encouraged by the renewable
portfolio standard (RPS) recently enacted
into law in California. The law requires loadserving entities to obtain 33 percent of their
power from renewable sources by 2020. With
this move, California has made itself one of
the most attractive renewable energy markets
in the nation, and we look forward to doing
additional wind and solar business in the state.
F. Mitchell Davidson
President & CEO
NextEra Energy Resources
NextEra Energy, Inc., reported first quarter
2011 earnings results in April. Overall,
the corporation delivered solid results.
NextEra Energy’s adjusted earnings per share
results were flat compared to the prior-year
quarter, but the results were in line with our
expectations. Given the current business
environment with weak natural gas and power
prices, it is noteworthy that we performed as
well as we did.
At Energy Resources, our first quarter was
a mixed bag. On the positive side, our
existing assets performed extremely well,
and we generated nearly 1 million additional
megawatt-hours from our wind fleet than we
did in the prior-year’s comparable quarter. On
the negative side, low power prices continued
to impact our merchant assets, and our full
requirements’ business experienced more
customer migration than expected.
Energy Resources’ adjusted earnings per share
decreased compared to the prior-year quarter.
On an adjusted basis, we reported first
quarter 2011 earnings of $189 million, or
$0.46 per share, compared to $196 million,
or $0.47 per share in the prior-year quarter.
(For a complete review of the corporation’s
results, including financial statements,
for the first quarter of 2011, please go to
www.NextEraEnergy.com and click on News.)
We continue to make progress expanding our
wind and solar businesses. On the solar front,
we were successful in securing financing for
our Spain Solar Project, twin 49.9-megawatt
Vol. 3 No. 5 | May 2011
On the wind development front, we have
signed long-term power purchase agreements
(PPAs) on 400 megawatts of projects so far in
2011. That brings the total number of wind
PPAs to 1,638 megawatts since the beginning
of last year. A little more than 950 megawatts
of these PPAs are for projects we expect to
commission in 2011 and 2012. As you know,
a key ingredient of our strategy is to build
projects with long-term PPAs associated with
them, and we are doing a very good job in
this area.
I believe we will be able to add 1,400 to
2,000 megawatts of wind before the end of
2012. However, we have a little less clarity
than in prior years as to the amount we may
add this year, primarily as a result of some
timing issues associated with permitting. So,
although I feel fairly confident on the build
over the next couple of years, meeting the
bottom end of our previous 700 to 1,000
megawatts range in 2011 will be a challenge.
sell certain existing assets. Currently, we are
exploring the potential sale of five natural
gas-fired assets in our fleet, including Blythe,
a 507-megawatt plant in California; RISEP,
a 550-megawatt plant in Rhode Island;
Doswell, a 708-megawatt plant in Virginia;
Cherokee, a 98-megawatt plant in South
Carolina; and Calhoun, a 668-megawatt plant
in Alabama. Although an outright sale or
other transaction may not occur, for various
reasons, we believe these assets may possess a
higher value to another owner. However, no
decisions have been made regarding whether
to move forward with the sale.
In closing, I want to mention the tragic
situation in Japan brought about by one
of the worst earthquakes and tsunamis in
modern history, including extensive damage
to the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear plant.
These terrible events brought a heightened
level of attention to all nuclear plants, both in
the United States and across the globe.
We continue to watch the events in Japan
very closely. There is still much we do not
know about the events at the Fukushima
plant, and it will undoubtedly take much
more time for a full analysis to be completed.
With regard to Energy Resources’ nuclear
fleet, all of our plants are located outside areas
deemed “high hazard” for seismic activity.
Simply put, the drivers for a Japanese-style
nuclear event are highly unlikely anywhere in
Energy Resources’ service territory.
Please keep the citizens of Japan in your
thoughts as they slowly recover from these
tragic events.
Thank you for all of your hard work and
dedication. Please continue to stay focused
and work safely.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this letter,
the current business environment is still very
challenging due to continued weakness in
power and natural gas prices. However, we
continue to be very well-hedged. For 2011,
96 percent of our gross margin is protected
from swings in commodity prices, and for
2012, the figure is already 91 percent.
I also want to comment briefly on asset
acquisitions. We are as interested in acquiring
contracted clean generation projects as we
are in building them ourselves, as long as the
returns are attractive. In addition to acquiring assets, we will
continuously look at our entire portfolio
of existing assets to make sure that we are
optimizing the value of those assets. In some
circumstances, it may mean that we could
ENERGY now 3
Visit the redesigned
Diversity site at
eWeb/diversity
One of our core values at NextEra
Energy, Inc., is treating people with
respect. We embrace our moral
obligation to show respect for all
individuals by supporting a diverse and
inclusive work environment.
Employees can now easily access
information about diversity and
inclusion on the newly redesigned
Diversity website at eWeb/diversity.
The new site includes more interactive
features and links to online diversity
training. Employees also can submit
questions to Arlene Shackelford,
manager of EEO, Diversity &
Inclusion, via a new online feature,
“Ask Arlene.”
“We are excited about the new
interactive features,” said Arlene.
“It’s much more user-friendly, and
now employees can actively participate
in the diversity and inclusion
experience online. We hope that
employees will use the site to learn
more about our commitment to
promoting teamwork, communication
and employee development.”
New Code of Business Conduct & Ethics training
New initiatives being led by Maria Fogarty, senior vice president of Internal Audit and Compliance,
will enable employees to more easily practice one of the company’s core values – doing the right thing.
Maria shares with Energy Now the latest training for employees on the company’s Code of Business
Conduct & Ethics.
Q. NextEra Energy, Inc., has received recognition
for the past five years for outstanding
commitment to ethical and corporate social
responsibility. What are we doing to maintain
and further our ethical and social-responsibility
leadership?
integrity by reinforcing the Code in everything
we do, we will further our ethical and corporate
social responsibility leadership in the future.
For the first time ever, the Compliance &
Responsibility Organization is rolling out to all
nonbargaining employees online training for the
Code of Business Conduct & Ethics. Training
almost 11,000 employees is a huge undertaking,
which shows NextEra Energy’s commitment to
ethical and corporate social responsibility.
Every employee should live by NextEra Energy’s
Code of Business Conduct & Ethics. Since the
Code addresses a wide range of business, legal
and ethical matters, operating by the Code
in our everyday job ensures that “We Do the
Right Thing.” Of course, the Code cannot
anticipate every issue that may arise. In many
situations, judgment and common sense must
guide employees. That said, if something appears
unethical or improper, you should first consult
your supervisor and follow our company’s
reporting process. It is the responsibility of
every employee to report any actual or suspected
violation of a law or regulation, any actual or
suspected fraud, and any other violation or
suspected violation of the Code. It is vital that every employee operates by the
Code when conducting business. To ensure that
every employee complies with NextEra Energy’s
Code, employees must first read and understand
it. Providing each employee the time to take the
mandatory interactive Code of Business Conduct
& Ethics training ensures that everyone has had
the opportunity to read the Code. The interactive
activities and scenarios within the training help
translate the Code into real-world situations.
If every employee acts in accordance with the
highest standards of personal and professional
Q. One of our corporate values is ‘We Do the Right
Thing.’ What should employees know and do to
ensure that they live this value in their everyday job?
Employees can access the Code online at
eWeb/code.
Visit the new site at eWeb/diversity.
Juno Beach campus
earns gold LEED status
Every little bit counts when you’re going for the gold, even the kind
of car you drive.
NextEra Energy, Inc.’s Juno Beach, Fla., campus recently earned
the prestigious Gold-level Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design (LEED) certification for Existing Buildings, thanks in part to
the green methods that some employees use to get to work.
Approximately 400 employees who took part in a companywide
transportation survey, as part of the certification process, indicated
they biked, walked, carpooled or drove fuel-efficient vehicles
frequently enough to add four points to the company’s score.
“Employee participation was critical to getting us over the threshold
for points,” said Jim Nuffield, alliance director for CB Richard Ellis,
the facility management company for the Juno Beach campus. LEED
is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction
and operation of high-performance “green” buildings. Sixty points are
needed to achieve gold, and NextEra Energy earned a total of
64 points.
Corporate Real Estate, which managed the improvements, reported
that the Juno Beach campus has seen a reduction in energy and water
consumption resulting from the changes.
4 ENERGY now
(l-r) Robert McGrath, executive vice president of Engineering, Construction and Corporate Services,
NextEra Energy; Jim Nuffield, alliance director for CB Richard Ellis; Terry Hicks, FPL vice president of
Corporate Real Estate; Lew Hay, chairman and CEO, NextEra Energy; Missy Strauss, vice president,
LEED AP and Palm Beach representative, United States Green Building Council; Armando Olivera,
president and CEO of Florida Power & Light; and Jerry Cook, FPL director of Corporate Operations.
Key areas of the process included:
»» Installing heating, ventilation and air-conditioning
improvements and lighting upgrades;
»» Converting to the use of environmentally positive materials,
including chemicals, paper and carpeting;
»» Implementing programs that result in the recycling of
240 tons of paper a year, the equivalent of saving 4,080 mature
trees annually; and
»» Enabling the company’s rooftop-based, solar technology research to
double as an energy source that heats all the kitchen water needs.
Vol. 3 No. 5 | May 2011
Employee Feature:
Channing Rollo – achieving a mind-body
balance anywhere
From work to play, Channing Rollo has incorporated yoga into
almost every area of her life. Energy Now talked with Channing, a lead
communication specialist in FPL’s Marketing & Communication business
unit, about why and how yoga became a lifestyle.
Q: Which forms of yoga do you practice and why?
My favorite is vinyasa, described as “movement with breath.” Many people
think of yoga as a way to relax or stretch, but vinyasa yoga is a demanding
practice that builds muscle, cardiovascular fitness and body awareness.
Q: How long have you been practicing and what aspects keep you an
avid yogi?
I tried yoga approximately two years ago and fell in love – it brings the
perfect combination of physical demand and mental peace. It makes me
feel positive, energized, stable, strong and calm.
NextEra Energy, Inc., Vice Chairman and Chief of Staff Moray Dewhurst and NextEra Energy, Inc.,
Chairman and CEO Lew Hay hold walking meetings at the Juno Beach, Fla., campus.
‘Make the Time’ to create a
healthier you
For many people, making the time to exercise is a fleeting idea or a daunting
task, as they struggle to manage personal and work responsibilities. Yet, two
of the busiest people at NextEra Energy – Chairman and CEO Lew Hay
and Vice Chairman and Chief of Staff Moray Dewhurst – are able to make
the time by holding walking meetings.
“The first walk was a casual invitation from Lew, and then it grew into
a semi-regular thing,” said Moray of the brisk walks they take around
the Juno Beach, Fla., campus. “This is not real aggressive exercise, but
doing something, moving around, stirring the blood, clearly makes you
feel better.”
This year, as the company celebrates 20 years of providing one of the
industry’s best health and well-being programs, leaders also encourage
you and your family to Make the Time – to be more active and
understand the importance of maintaining or improving your health.
“Many people don’t realize that minor increases in their activity levels
and moderate changes to their eating habits can have a significant
impact,” said Andy Scibelli, manager of Employee Health & Well-Being.
In addition to the mind-body balance, I was surprised to experience the
additional benefit of enhanced back health. I have scoliosis, an abnormal
curvature of the spine, so my back often felt tight and uncomfortable.
Those symptoms vanished when I started practicing yoga.
Q: How does yoga assist you with handling workplace demands?
As a member of FPL’s Marketing & Communication business unit,
I’m responsible for informing customers about service reliability, storm
preparedness, safety, smart grid and clean generation. I serve three business
units and also support emergency communications. That adds up to a lot
of competing priorities, which create stress. The mental practice of yoga
helps me maintain perspective and calm, and my physical yoga practice
helps me release workplace tension.
Q: Where are some of the unique places you’ve practiced?
I’ve done handstands on the top of mountains, arm balances on rocks in
the middle of rushing rivers, and sometimes, I sneak a few poses in my
cube when no one is watching.
For more information about yoga and other mind-body resources, visit
My HR Direct, and click Health & Well-Being in the navigation bar.
Channing Rollo, a lead communication specialist in FPL’s Marketing & Communication business unit,
incorporates yoga into almost every area of her life, including her work environment.
“One of the steps we can take to help keep health care costs down is
to ensure we are maintaining healthy lifestyles by taking advantage of
preventive health screenings*,” said Melissa Miller, director of Employee
Benefits & Services. “We will be raising the bar by making health
incentives even more meaningful in 2012. We will reward employees and
spouses who keep their blood pressure, cholesterol and body mass index
within suggested ranges.”
Employees can visit a new website, eWeb/MaketheTime, to learn more
about how to incorporate more exercise into their daily routines. The site
also features videos of how other leaders, such as Executive Vice President
of Human Resources Shaun Francis and Senior Vice President of Internal
Audit and Compliance Maria Fogarty, make the time.
“I think everyone can make the time to do a little bit of exercise
every day,” said Moray.
Find a form of exercise that fits into your life. Look for Make the Time
communications providing ideas and resources to get moving toward better
health or go to eWeb/MaketheTime.
*Does not apply to Florida Power & Light bargaining employees, NextEra Energy Duane Arnold 204 bargaining
employees and Maine bargaining employees. Does not apply to NextEra Energy Seabrook bargaining employees
and NextEra Energy Point Beach White Book employees enrolled in the POS medical plan in 2011.
Vol. 3 No. 5 | May 2011
ENERGY now 5
Employee Feature:
Rex Filstrup – full-time engineer, part-time
hockey player
When it comes to having a passion for a sport, there is no skating around
the issue with Rex Filstrup. Rex, a software engineer, picked up his first
ice hockey stick some 50 years ago, and today, he still hurls the puck
across the rink at speeds approaching 90 miles per hour.
“Growing up, I lived by a lake in Minnesota, so ice skating was a natural
fit,” said Rex. “Then, when I was about 13 years old, I saw my first ice
hockey game. I liked the speed and action, and I thought, ‘This is what I
want to do.’ I tried out for the high school team, and my coach also got
me involved in a local community team.” Rex currently skates with the Minnesota Old Timers, an amateur ice
hockey team that plays in tournaments across the country.
“We won the USA Hockey Over 60 National Hockey Tournament in
2007 and 2008,” said Rex, who plays the center position, responsible for
setting up the plays. Rex has demonstrated the same staying power in the wind energy
business. For almost 20 years, he has worked as a lead solar and wind
advisor for Minnesota-based WindLogics, a subsidiary of Energy
Resources that provides renewable energy consulting services. He
develops the computer software systems that run the wind models and
manages the data for that modeling. Recognizing ZERO Today! Rewards
“Recognizing ZERO Today!” is NextEra Energy, Inc.’s
rewards program highlighting injury-free locations
and employees. Locations that reached a ZERO Today!
milestone in March:
One-Year Award
Two-Year Award
Distribution
Transmission & Substation
Flagler
Daytona Substations
Power Generation – Thermal & Hydro
SEGS – Kramer Junction
Gold Award
Power Generation – Florida
Silver-Level Award
Customer Service
North Fla., Meter Reading – 4 years
Power Generation – Wind
Diablo – 3 years
Transmission & Substation
Palm Beach/Delray Substations –
6 years
Lauderdale – 6 years
Transmission & Substation
Martin Plant Substations – 12 years
One- and two-year recognition is awarded solely on
time regardless of the number of employees at the
location. Silver-, gold- and platinum-level recognition
is awarded based on the number of employees at the
location as compared to the number of months or
years worked injury-free. For example, a location with
more than 150 employees would be awarded a goldlevel award for working one year injury-free, while a
smaller location with between 51 and 150 employees
would work three years to achieve the same award.
“My job provides interesting challenges, such as being able to anticipate
technical issues and being able to solve them,” said Rex.
Relating work to sport, in both situations, Rex must operate as part of a
well-orchestrated team, foresee opportunities and obstacles before they
arise, and protect himself and his teammates against competitive threats.
Both arenas also demand consistency and dedication to excellence,
which, for Rex, is no problem.
“I’ll keep playing as long as I can keep moving,” he said.
WindLogics software engineer Rex Filstrup brings his best game to amateur hockey in Minnesota and the
wind energy business, where he works with Energy Resources as a lead solar and wind advisor.
The team at Energy Resources’ Bellingham Energy Center in Bellingham, Mass., celebrate earning OSHA’s
VPP Star status for exemplary safety standards.
Bellingham plant earns top OSHA
safety honor
Energy Resources’ Bellingham Energy Center in Bellingham, Mass.,
recently celebrated the plant team’s achievement of earning VPP Star
Status, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) top
safety honor.
The site team was joined by Tony Rodriguez, executive vice president
for NextEra Energy, Inc.’s Power Generation Division; Craig Arcari, vice
president of Engineering and Construction; and OSHA representatives
and family members.
“The Bellingham team has achieved a great accomplishment by earning
OSHA’s recognition as a VPP Star facility,” said General Manager Jim
White. “This recognition could only be achieved through strong teamwork
and everyone’s commitment to a safe work environment.” The VPP Star Status is reserved for an exceptional group of worksites that
implement exemplary safety and health programs and have achieved injury
and illness rates below the national average for their respective industries.
6 ENERGY now
Vol. 3 No. 5 | May 2011
Runners take part in
a relay to remember
across Florida
About 20 employees from Florida
Power & Light and Energy
Resources ran a unique race during
a 180-mile ‘Sunset to Sunrise’
Relay in Florida and gained
unforgettable memories.
The two teams, Endless Energy
and Endless Energy Six Pack,
completed the 36-leg relay in 31
hours (10:33 minutes per mile)
and 23 hours (7:42 minutes per
mile), respectively. The run
required more than a little bit
of nerve.
The Reliability Assurance Lab’s Component Manager, John Fischer, prepares to load a new LED streetlight into the corrosion chamber to determine whether it will
withstand Florida’s salt-rich coastal air.
Making a science of reliability
Florida is a paradise to most, but its sun and surf
are torture for FPL’s field equipment. Its wonderful
oceanfront views come with corrosive salt wind. Its
gorgeous sunshine means harsh ultraviolet rays, and
lush tropical climate fosters abundant vegetation –
all of which can have an adverse effect on
electrical equipment.
At Transmission’s Reliability Assurance Center in
Riviera Beach, Fla., expert FPL engineers simulate
decades of wear-and-tear on vital pieces of electrical
equipment, including insulators, transformers,
cables and poles. In this controlled setting,
Transmission team employees replicate natural
conditions, but accelerate their effects using
environmental test chambers to anticipate system
deterioration and damage.
“We evaluate between 1,500 and 2,000 pieces of
equipment every year,” said John Fischer, Reliability
Assurance Lab Component manager. “This testing
helps FPL to better protect the electrical system and
provide safer, more reliable service to our customers.”
The Reliability Assurance Center also maintains
Aquarina, an outdoor test site located in Melbourne
Beach, Fla. This site has the most severe salt exposure
in the state, making it an excellent location to test
new products. Salt testing helps determine which
equipment offers the greatest coastal longevity for the
price, which results in savings to customers. Going to
great lengths to accurately predict the performance of
our equipment allows FPL to maintain its track
record as one of the most affordable, reliable utilities
in the country.
What customers think of FPL’s smart grid
Besides enhancing service reliability, FPL’s smart
grid provides customers with more information
about their energy use than ever before. Customers
with smart meters that have been activated for
remote billing can view their usage and other
helpful information on FPL’s online portal. Here’s
what these customers say about their portal
experience:
“I was running in the middle of
the night when two wild boars ran
out of the woods and crossed the
road in front of me,” said Matt
Pawlowski, a Power Generation
Division principal production
assurance specialist. “I tried to
scare them away by shining my
flashlight at them. One of them
just stopped and stared at me, but
eventually moved on.”
Everyone survived the cross-state
relay, which began in Ft. Myers on
the west coast and ended in Jensen
Beach on the east coast.
“It was a great experience,”
said Bryan Garner, a senior
communications advisor in FPL’s
Marketing & Communication
business unit. “I would do it again.
It’s something I’ll never forget.”
(l-r) Brandon Stankiewicz and Holly Carias,
both Development project directors for Energy
Resources, hand off during a relay race that
took them and other employees across the
state of Florida.
I’ve used lots of energy-saving devices, and FPL’s online
portal is the best tool yet! Energy efficiency saves me
money, and it’s good for the environment.
Tom Eastwood (North Miami)
The customer portal is the greatest tool FPL has to
offer. Thanks to the smart grid, my family is saving as
much as $30 a month.
Susan Albaz (Sunrise)
I’ve saved about $25 a month compared to this same
time last year. FPL’s online portal has made me a
smarter customer.
Frank Linn (Tamarac)
Vol. 3 No. 5 | May 2011
Tom Eastwood, an FPL customer in North Miami, explains why he appreciates
the online portal that is available with the smart-grid technology.
“We now have more than a million customers
with activated meters, a number that is growing
rapidly every day,” said Dennis Reynolds, FPL
general manager of smart-meter deployment and
operations. “It’s gratifying to know that many of
them are taking advantage of the new tools now
available through FPL’s smart grid.”
ENERGY now 7
Jill Campbell, FPL IT business process analyst, looks around for safety hazards in the Corporate Safety booth game vehicle at the 17th Annual Quality & Safety Expo, held April 15.
The Big Picture:
Quality & Safety Expo demos
‘dummy’ driving
Sometimes, learning from a dummy can make you pretty smart. Visitors to the 17th Annual
Quality & Safety Expo were taught a thing or two about safe driving from a mannequin that
was making a myriad of mistakes.
Texting and wearing headphones behind the wheel, the dummy driver was the subject of a
compelling game at the Corporate Safety booth. The exhibit drew more than 800 people
with its Mercedes-Benz® Smart Car and the chance to win a flat-screen TV if a player
could accurately spot the dummy’s seven driving errors. Mark Morgan, general manager of
Corporate Safety and Workers’ Compensation, said the booth idea was an extension of last
year’s employee campaign on how to properly assess hazards at work and at home.
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, drivers who use hand-held devices
are four times as likely to have crashes serious enough to injure themselves. A University of
Utah study found that using a cell phone while driving, whether it’s hand-held or hands-free,
delays a driver’s reactions as much as having a blood alcohol concentration at the Florida legal
limit of .08 percent.
ENERGY NOW: 700 Universe Blvd., Juno Beach, FL 33408
Internal Communication Manager: Jami Goertzen, 561-694-4034
Graphic Design: Jim Nicholas, Patricia Pereyra
Photographer: Doug Murray
Contributing Writers: Janice Brady, Michelle Brown, Randy Clerihue,
Eileen Dees, Jami Goertzen, Kerry Jamieson, Dianne Levtchenko,
Kevin Maida, Neil Nissan, Dave McDermitt, Steve Stengel
Published monthly for employees and quarterly for retirees by
Marketing & Communication.
Have a story idea? Call 561-694-4034, go to eWeb/newsmaker, or write via
interoffice mail to Energy Now, MC-JB.
Read ENERGY NOW on the Employee Web. Back issues are available by clicking
on the ENERGY NOW link.
External Websites:
www.FPL.com, www.NextEraEnergyResources.com,
www.NextEraEnergy.com, www.FPLFibernet.com
Address Change?
Employees should update their addresses using My HR Direct
in the corporate portal (http://myportal). Retirees should call the
FPL Benefits Center at 800-208-4015 or write to:
FPL Benefits Center, P.O. Box 9233, Boston, MA 02205.
“Safety is all about engagement. The real goal is to get people to actively think about their
personal safety in their everyday lives,” said Mark. “Booth visitors said sometimes it takes a
regular reminder, like this demo, to recognize that these driving habits are real distractions.”
8 ENERGY now
Vol. 3 No. 5 | May 2011