Biodiesel really fits right into
what we do. We are a very
green company
Florida Power & Light Company
embraces environmental
stewardship as a core value,
and they have used biodiesel
regularly for nearly 20 years –
one vital component of their corporate
responsibility strategy.
The utility is a subsidiary of NextEra
Energy, which is the world’s largest
producer of renewable power from wind
and solar, and it powers its entire fleet
of diesel vehicles and equipment with
biodiesel blends.
Patti Earley, FPL’s Fleet Fuels Operations
Specialist, manages fuel for 3,900
vehicles that serve and support 4.9
million customer accounts in 35 counties.
“Biodiesel really fits right in to what we
do,” she said. “We are a
very green company.”
Biodiesel helps FPL meet
its alternative energy
commitments under the
Energy Policy Act (EPAct)
by reducing petroleum
consumption in vehicles.
Through its use of electric,
hybrid and biodiesel
vehicles, the utility
avoided using 690,000
gallons of petroleum fuel
in 2017 and reduced CO2
emissions by 6,700 tons.
More than half of those
benefits were achieved
with biodiesel. “We over-comply
every year by a
large number because
of the amount of bio
we burn,” she said. FPL
promotes its green fuel
policies with messaging
on its trucks and storage
tanks.
The biodiesel program began quietly
in 1999, when the utility authorized
its wet-hose fuel supplier to begin
filling many diesel vehicles and pieces
of equipment with B20. The utility did
not alert employees to the change but
tracked maintenance records over a six-month
period. No issues were detected,
and employees reported no performance
changes, so the utility made the switch
official, and they have been using
biodiesel blends fleet-wide ever since.
Due to the 2004 hurricane season,
the utility decided it needed its own
fuel storage because of shortages
that hurricanes have caused. The fleet
department leased a 2 million gallon
tank in Miami to store their diesel before
refurbishing a 4 million gallon tank about
four years ago. “Last year when Irma
hit, we had 3.3 million gallons in it. We
keep it at that level during storm season,
because there are extreme fuel shortages
in a hurricane. Having the fuel on hand
insures our restoration isn’t delayed
because we can’t find fuel,” she said.
Earley said the fleet has used blends
up to B35 with no problem but has
now standardized at B20 so that it can
maintain a consistent standard across
all operations. FPL started as a biodiesel
customer only but eventually became
a purveyor. “We do a lot of outreach
through the Clean Cities program and
to municipalities across the state,” she
Fleet
Patti Earley
Fleet Fuels Operations Specialist
Florida Power & Light
38 Biodiesel Success Stories