FPL Helps Unveil Fuel Cell at North Port High School; FPL and Others Study Fuel Cells as Next Generation Energy Source

Business Wire, April 8, 2004

Energy Editors/Business Editors/Education Writers

NORTH PORT, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 8, 2004

Florida Power & Light Company today helped unveil a fuel cell at North Port High School in support of the company's continuing effort to develop emerging energy sources for the future. In a ceremony held on the high school campus and at the site of the fuel cell, FPL confirmed its commitment to clean and renewable energy sources such as fuel cells that have the potential to become a next generation energy source.

"FPL participates in fuel cell demonstrations as well as other emerging energy technology projects because the company believes the greater use of conservation and cost-effective renewable resources is good for our nation and that the ongoing evaluation of emerging clean energy technologies is a worthy pursuit," said Bill Hamilton, vice president of customer service for FPL. "The fuel cell project here at North Port High School is also an opportunity to provide the local educational community with access to an operating unit and to create interest among students to better understand the technology," Hamilton said.

FPL said it will monitor the fuel cell at North Port and provide data to the Department of Environmental Protection for further study and analysis. FPL said it would continue to study the technology to determine if, in the future, fuel cells might be an addition to the portfolio of energy-related products and services the company could offer to local, state and federal agencies.

A fuel cell is a device composed of a group of electric cells that combines hydrogen and oxygen to quietly produce electric power and heat energy without combustion. This clean conversion process combines hydrogen from natural gas and oxygen from air to make power, and leaves behind mainly water and heat.

FPL installed a Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell, manufactured by Plug Power (Nasdaq:PLUG) of Latham, New York.

The fuel cell project at North Port High School is expected to be in place for one-year. The fuel cell is capable of producing as much as five kW of electricity or enough to power about five 1,000-watt hair dryers. The unit will also provide a portion of the hot water needs of the school.

In addition to the study of new technologies that might one day help off-set the use of fossil fuels in the generation of electricity, FPL encourages customers to conserve energy. The company offers energy conservation assistance to its customers in the form of home energy surveys, air conditioning duct tests, incentives for adding insulation and upgrading to more efficient air conditioning, as well as programs that compensate customers for placing certain appliances "on call" for cycling off for brief periods during times of heavy demand.

Over the past two decades, FPL has helped customers in Florida reduce their overall energy in an amount equivalent to displacing ten power plants.

Florida Power & Light Company is the principal subsidiary of FPL Group, Inc. (NYSE:FPL), nationally known as a high quality, efficient and customer-driven organization focused on energy-related products and services. With annual revenues of more than $9 billion and a growing presence in 26 states, FPL Group is widely recognized as one of the country's premier power companies. Florida Power & Light Company serves more than 4.2 million customer accounts in Florida. FPL Energy, Inc., FPL Group's energy-generating subsidiary, is a leader in producing electricity from clean and renewable fuels. Additional information is available on the Internet at http://www.FPL.com, http://www.FPLGroup.com and http://www.FPLEnergy.com.

Note to Editors: High-resolution logos and executive head shots are available for download at http://www.fpl.com/news/contents/logos.shtml .