Florida electric utility completes smartgrid installations
(Phys.org) —Florida Power & Lighting has completed its $800 million smart grid upgrade, with installations of 4.5 million smart meters. Smart meters are digital devices that use radio frequencies to communicate with automated feeder switches and other devices on poles and power lines. The meters can measure a building's use of electricity. FPL installed 4.5 million smart meters alongside more than 10,000 sensors. FPL says the benefit to customers is that by installing the smart meters each customer can get on the Internet to see the power being used by the hour, day, and month. The customer can also see bill estimates based on current usage patterns. FPL believes more information can lead to customers making more informed choices about usage and costs. Overall, a smart grid can automatically sense and gather data about consumer habits.