ST.PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) — Hurricane season starts Wednesday, June 1.
Duke Energy Florida is taking steps to make sure the lights stay on at one emergency hurricane evacuation shelter.
John Hopkins Middle School in St. Petersburg serves as a special needs shelter.
The solar plus storage microgrid on the campus will provide backup power.
According to leaders, the project is the first of its kind for Duke.
They tell 8 On Your Side upgrades like the microgrid provide big benefits to customers.
The say, in 2021, improvements helped 250,000 Floridians avoid extended power outages and saved more than 17 million minutes in lost outage time.
Also last year, DEF crews inspected 121,000 distribution poles.
Currently, 45% of DEF’s primary distribution lines are underground.
Company leaders are set to provide an update on additional hurricane preps Tuesday at 9:30 a.m..
