Insight
 FPL Group, Inc.
The people of FPL Group have a long history of safely providing reliable power while showing genuine concern for their communities and the environment.
This multifaceted commitment is evident at both Florida Power & Light Company (FPL), FPL Group's electric utility subsidiary which serves more than 4.5 million customers in Florida, and FPL Energy, its competitive energy business which operates in 25 other states and is a leader in producing electricity from clean and renewable fuels.
Longstanding Environmental Commitment
Respect for the environment has long been a hallmark of the way FPL does business. The company's diverse fuel mix includes clean-burning natural gas and emissions-free nuclear power. Its fossil fuel emissions rates are among the lowest in the industry. It also operates one of the most efficient power plant fleets of its kind in the US, which means it can generate more power using less fuel, resulting in lower costs and reduced environmental impact.
Since 1981, FPL customers have participated more than 5.2 million times in the company's energy efficiency programs such as home or business energy audits as well as rebates and incentives. Thanks to its customers' involvement in these programs, FPL has avoided the need to build 11 new power plants. A new solar array—the largest in Florida—will be in service this fall at Rothenbach Park in Sarasota County, thanks to customer participation in FPL's Sunshine Energy
®
program.
Expansive Clean Energy Strategy
The company has adopted a similar clean energy strategy in its competitive generation business, FPL Energy. This business today is the US leader in wind power as well as the largest generator of solar power in the nation. In 2006 alone, FPL Energy's wind generation offset nearly 6.4 million tons of carbon dioxide, more than 14,000 tons of sulfur dioxide and more than 9,000 tons of nitrogen oxide.
Global Warming and Climate Change Initiatives
FPL Group has been instrumental in calling for mandatory greenhouse gas emissions reductions as a way to combat global warming. The company is a founding member of US Climate Action Partnership, an alliance aimed at encouraging the US government to enact legislation that would mandate significant economy-wide reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. FPL Group is a proud member of the World Wildlife Fund's Powerswitch! program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions using more efficient electric generation. And Chairman and CEO Lewis Hay, III has advanced a carbon fee as the simplest and most effective solution to global warming, and one that protects the economy.
Renewable Energy for Future Generations
Building on its leadership position in renewable power generation, FPL Group in September 2007 announced a $2.4 billion investment program to increase US solar thermal energy output and further reducing carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to global warming. The three-part plan encompasses:
- investment of up to $1.5 billion in new solar thermal generating facilities in Florida and California over the next seven years;
- investment of up to $500 million by FPL to create a smart network that will provide its 4.5 million customers with enhanced energy management capabilities; and
- launch by FPL Energy of a new consumer education program and new products that could increase renewable energy resources by at least $400 million over the first five years of the program.
These clean power growth plans come on the heels of a July 2007 decision by FPL Group to invest $20 billion to increase its industry leading wind generation capacity to over 14,000 megawatts by 2012.
An Industry Leader ...
- #1 in Fortune
®
magazine's 2007 "Most Admired Companies" listing (electric and gas utility sector)
- #1 wind energy producer in U.S.
- #1 US solar energy producer
- #1 in environmental performance five straight times (Innovest rankings)
- #1 customer energy efficiency partnership (US DOE data)
- One of the "Most Sustainable Corporations in the World" (Corporate Knights and Innovest)
- "Best in class" on climate change three straight times (Carbon Disclosure Project)
- One of the "World's Most Ethical Companies" (Ethisphere magazine)
|