Duke Energy tells Duneden leaders reliability is improving but solar subscription raises long-term payback concerns

Duke Energy representatives told Duneden—s commission that targeted investments under the company—s Florida storm-protection plan — including feeder and lateral hardening, pole and device replacement, and segments of undergrounding — have reduced equipment-related outages and shortened average outage durations in the city.

Stephano Carneo, Duke—s director of asset management for distribution, described the program—s technical approach: "If you think of the distribution grid as a tree, the feeder is the trunk of the tree— the lateral are like the branches," he said, explaining feeder hardening, lateral hardening and "the self-optimizing grid" devices that isolate and restore small segments automatically. Duke presented five-year performance metrics that, the company said, show Duneden performing better than its statewide averages on industry-standard indices for outage frequency and duration.

Duke—s vegetation-management lead, Nick Espazito, told the commission the utility trims main lines on a three-year cycle and laterals on a five-year cycle; transmission corridors are flown and removed where necessary, and the company said it uses door hangers, QR codes, and targeted…