Miami Mayor Manny Diaz today announced a plan to use federal economic stimulus funds to help spur a $200 million investment in smart grid technology and renewable energy over the next two years.
The initiative, called “Energy Smart Miami,” brings together General Electric (NYSE: GE), Cisco Systems (Nasdaq: CSCO), Silver Springs Networks and utility Florida Power & Light (FPL).
The backbone of Energy Smart Miami will be the deployment of more than
1 million advanced wireless “Smart Meters” to every home and most
businesses in Miami-Dade County. These meters will give FPL customers more information and control over
their electricity usage while also providing FPL with information that
will enhance system efficiency and reliability.
“The Energy Smart Miami Initiative is an investment in the future of our city, our residents and our neighborhoods, and is an important step toward creating the green jobs of the future and building a clean energy economy,” Mayor Diaz said.
Joining the Mayor at Miami Dade College’s downtown campus for the announcement today were FPL Group Chairman and CEO Lewis Hay III, GE Chairman and CEO Jeffrey R. Immelt, Cisco Systems Chairman and CEO John T. Chambers and Silver Spring Networks Chairman, CEO and President Scott Lang.
Florida Power & Light Company, a subsidiary of FPL Group (NYSE: FPL), is leading the strategy and deployment of Smart Grid technologies for the project.
FP&L provides electricity to 4.5 million customer accounts in the state of Florida, including more than 1 million in Miami-Dade County. The company eventually plans to spend another $500 million to expand smart-grid technology to all 4.5 million Florida customers.
GE, a world leader in power generation, distribution, and management technology, will supply key components of the project, which include Smart Meters and may extend to advanced applications and smarter control systems. Silver Spring Networks, a leading provider of networking solutions for the electric grid, will provide open standards-based, secure wireless network communications. Cisco, the worldwide leader in networking technologies, will help design and implement a secure and intelligent communications platform within the county’s transmission and distribution grid and provide customers with home energy management information and controls.
Energy Smart Miami is estimated to generate demand for 800 to 1,000 jobs, both directly and indirectly involved in the deployment, during the two-year implementation period.
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