FPL and Universities Drive Innovation to Strengthen Florida’s Power Grid
In a fast-growing state like Florida, maintaining reliable electric service is an ongoing challenge. One of the leading causes of power outages is vegetation growing near power lines. To address this issue, Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) is leveraging advanced technology and academic partnerships to modernize its approach.
FPL is integrating cutting-edge LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology with decades of field experience to create a smarter, more predictive vegetation management system. This technology provides a highly detailed, three-dimensional view of power lines and surrounding vegetation, allowing teams to identify where maintenance is needed most.
Each year, FPL collects approximately 50,000 miles of LiDAR data across Florida. This enables arborists and engineers to assess conditions systemwide without physically inspecting every mile, significantly improving efficiency and response times.
In addition, FPL has partnered with leading institutions such as the University of Miami, University of West Florida, and Auburn University. Through senior capstone programs, engineering and computer science students analyze real-world data to build predictive models that forecast vegetation growth.
“This is about working smarter,” said Erin Schreck, vegetation operations lead for FPL’s east region. “We’re combining decades of field experience with advanced technology to make faster, better decisions that directly improve grid resilience.”
Traditionally, vegetation trimming followed fixed cycles of three to six years. However, this new data-driven approach allows FPL to identify areas where vegetation grows faster—such as regions with palm trees or bamboo—and adjust maintenance schedules accordingly.
The long-term goal is to transition to a predictive, risk-based model, focusing resources on high-growth, high-risk areas before problems occur. This proactive strategy helps reduce outages and ensures more reliable service, even during extreme weather conditions.
Beyond technology, these partnerships also represent an investment in future talent. Students gain hands-on experience working with real infrastructure challenges, while FPL benefits from fresh perspectives and innovative thinking.
