Duke Energy Florida reports that its self-healing technology has helped prevent more than 950,000 extended power outages since January 2024. The company says this technology has also saved nearly 6.3 million hours of outage time for customers across the state.
Self-healing technology works by automatically detecting outages and rerouting power to other lines, similar to how a GPS navigation system finds alternative routes when there is an accident ahead. This system restores service faster for customers, sometimes in less than a minute, during both regular days and storms, including hurricanes.
Currently, about 80% of Duke Energy Florida’s customers benefit from this technology. In specific areas, approximately 90% of Pinellas County, 80% of Orange County, and 60% of Polk County are covered.
During the 2024 hurricane season alone, the technology was credited with saving around 3.3 million hours of outage time during Hurricane Milton, about 1.8 million hours during Hurricane Helene, and roughly 208,000 hours during Hurricane Debby.
“Self-healing technology is a powerful tool that helps keep the lights on for Duke Energy Florida customers,” said Melissa Seixas, Duke Energy Florida state president. “We understand how important reliable power is for our customers, their families and their businesses – they plan their lives by it – so we will continue focusing on strengthening and expanding self-healing technology throughout our 35-county service territory as we enter the second half of hurricane season and beyond.”
Duke Energy Florida provides electricity to two million residential, commercial and industrial customers across a service area covering about 13,000 square miles in Florida. Its parent company Duke Energy operates electric utilities serving over eight million customers in several states and owns nearly 55 gigawatts of energy capacity nationwide.
The company continues to invest in major grid upgrades and cleaner energy sources such as natural gas, nuclear power, renewables and energy storage as part of its broader transition efforts (https://www.duke-energy.com/our-company/about-us).
More information can be found at duke-energy.com or through its social media channels.
