Stealing lightning's thunder
At FPL, we’re always working to ensure when you flip the switch, the lights come on. That means finding ways to prevent lightning from causing flickers and outages, or damaging the equipment that brings energy to your home.
Within FPL’s High Voltage Lab at the Reliability Assurance Center, our engineers conduct ongoing testing to help protect our electric system against this powerful force of nature. The team simulates lightning and creates high-voltage electrical impulses to test the performance of electric equipment. Experimenting with simulated lightning enables our engineers to gather detailed data and find ways to help prevent lightning from causing outages in your home or business.
This work, all part of FPL’s ongoing commitment to deliver service reliability that’s the best in the state and among the best in the nation – nearly 50 percent better than the national average, is especially important in Florida – the lightning capital of the nation.
Lightning can strike as far as 10 – 15 miles from the storm, which is about the distance you can hear thunder. If you hear thunder, you are within striking distance and should wait at least 30 minutes after the last clap of thunder before going back outside. Don’t be fooled by sunshine or blue sky! To learn more about lightning safety, visit www.weather.gov/safety/lightning.