ENVIRONMENT | Protecting our natural resources
12 February 2008
Florida Firm Focuses on Clean Energy To Replace Fossil Fuels
Renewable energy technology aids the environment
Juno Beach, Florida -- Growing global interest in the environment is leading to increased use of clean, renewable energy sources in place of fossil fuels like coal and oil, which generate greenhouse gas emissions. In the United States, a leading provider of wind and solar power is FPL Energy, a Florida-based company operating in 25 states across the nation.
FPL Energy does not provide electricity inside Florida -- that activity is handled by Florida Power and Light -- but both companies are part of the umbrella corporation FPL Group.
FPL Group Chief Executive Officer Lewis Hay III said the corporation embraces sustainability, which focuses on balancing economic accountability, environmental stewardship and social responsibility. The corporation is committed, Hay added, “to sustaining the position we’ve earned as a leader in environmental stewardship and, especially, to demonstrating industry leadership in further reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”
Currently, the United States relies heavily on coal, oil and natural gas for its energy. Although natural gas is considered a “clean” fossil fuel, the other two release carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that scientists and environment advocates see as a health problem and a danger to the planet. These fossil fuels, finite resources that eventually will dwindle, are considered nonrenewable. In contrast, wind and solar energy, which are replenished constantly and are limitless, are emissions-free and cost-effective energy sources.
FPL Energy, in addition to developing, building and operating electricity-generating facilities throughout the United States, strives to minimize the effects of those activities on ground and surface water, vegetation, fisheries and wildlife.
Clean fuel and renewable resources account for more than 90 percent of the company’s energy production, said communications director Steve Stengel. This electricity is sold wholesale to utilities, municipalities, cooperatives and regional power systems that then supply it to individual homes and businesses, he said.
FPL Energy uses three types of renewable energy:
• WIND ENERGY -- The largest wind-energy program in the United States is a major driver of FPL Energy’s growth -- comprising about one-third of its energy profile. The company has 55 wind farms in 16 states, where computer-controlled turbines -- standing as tall as 20-story buildings -- capture the wind’s energy with 70-meter-wide blades mounted on rotors. Mechanical energy turns into electrical energy for transmission through the electrical grid.
• SOLAR ENERGY -- Seven FPL Energy solar facilities in California, co-owned with other companies, use more than 900,000 curved mirrors to capture and concentrate sunlight using thermal technology. The sun is the most inexhaustible source of energy known, and the fastest-growing market for solar energy is in developing nations that have little electricity but an abundance of sunlight.
• HYDROELECTRIC POWER -- Water-generated power is one of oldest sources of energy, one used thousands of years ago to turn a paddle wheel to grind grain. FPL Energy has 83 units at 26 stations in Maine, built on rivers and artificial dams that have gates to control the water flow. Gravitational energy from the water is converted to mechanical energy and then to electrical energy.
In addition, FPL Energy uses two types of clean fuels:
• NATURAL GAS -- The cleanest-burning fossil fuel is believed to have been formed millions of years ago when layers of plants and tiny sea animals were buried by sand and rock and converted to this resource by pressure and heat from the earth. Twelve natural gas plants in 10 states produce more than 40 percent of FPL Energy’s diversified portfolio. Gas is burned to turn boiled water into steam and then into electrical power.
• NUCLEAR POWER -- This energy source has been used to provide electricity for residences since 1955. FPL Energy owns a nuclear plant in Wisconsin and has majority ownership of two others in New Hampshire and Iowa, accounting for about 16 percent of the company’s total energy production. To produce nuclear power, uranium atoms split in a controlled process known as fission and strike other particles to generate electricity.
Even though FPL Energy is a for-profit company, Stengel said, it endeavors “to help meet U.S. needs for power utilizing clean or renewable fuels which will help minimize carbon footprints.”
