Oct. 28--ARCADIA

On a former cattle pasture north of Arcadia, President Barack Obama commissioned the largest photovoltaic solar array in the United States.

"With the flip of a switch, Florida Power and Light has taken a step which could help begin weening the United States away from dependence on fossil fuel while introducing new jobs and technology for the future," Obama said Tuesday to a invited audience of about 100 seated in front of the solar array.

FPL installed 90,000 solar panels on 180 acres, enough to provide power to about 3,000 homes -- almost all of Arcadia.

The panels face east to catch the rays of the rising sun, then turn to track the sun throughout the day.

Costing $152 million, the facility converts solar energy into direct current -- like that produced by a battery -- and feeds it to trailers in the solar park, which convert it into alternating current used in homes and businesses. The power is transmitted underground to the electric grid for distribution to consumers.

Obama likened the arrival of alternative energy technology to the arrival of the interstate highway system under President Dwight Eisenhower, which revolutionized road travel in the United States.

That move, he noted, made Americans' lives easier and helped the U.S. economy to grow.

"Now it's time to make the same kind of investment in the way our economy travels -- to build a clean energy superhighway that can take the renewable power generated in places like DeSoto and deliver it to the American people in the most affordable and efficient way possible," Obama said.

The president announced that, under the Recovery Act, his administration is making the largest-ever investment in a "smarter, stronger and more secure electric grid."

The investment will be made in the form of 100 grants totaling $3.4 billion to private companies, utilities, cities and others that have filed plans to install smart grid technology around the country.

FPL is set to receive $200 million of that money to install 2.6 million "smart meters" and other technology designed to cut energy costs for customers.

Cabinet members will fan out across the United States to discuss the winning proposals, which will help replace century-old technology that is inefficient and wastes too much energy, Obama said.

Smart meters will allow consumers to monitor and adjust their electric consumption on an hourly, daily or weekly basis. Through smart-grid technology, utilities will be better able to monitor the system and correct outages more quickly, Obama said.