Juno Beach-based electricity “powerhouse” Florida Power and Light (FPL) has announced plans to construct the world’s largest solar powered energy storage facility to serve its market in Florida.
With a storage capacity of 409 MW, four times larger than that of the worlds current record holder, the Manatee Energy Storage Center is projected to save consumers $100 million and reduce the company’s carbon dioxide emissions by 1 million tons. The facility will be charged using power generated by an existing solar farm located in Manatee County.
The project will allow the closure of two aging natural gas power plants. 
“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.”
Eric Silagy, president and CEO of FPL
To give some perspective, the company suggested that, with a a capacity of 900 MWh, the storage system’s capacity would be the equivalent of 100 million iPhone batteries or 300 million AA batteries – enough to power 329,000 homes for two hours.
Projects like this one allow power generated during times of peak generation to be shifted to serve load during times of peak demand. For decades, energy storage has been seen as the elusive key to making renewable energy dominant in the electricity marketplace. FPL is known for investing aggressively and pushing technological innovation in the sector. No doubt, consumers and competitors will be studying this project’s success.