The 250-kilowatt structure proposed for Rothenbach Park on Bee Ridge Road, east of Interstate 75, would be the largest solar panel array in Florida and one of the biggest in the Southeast, said FPL spokeswoman Pat Davis.

"We know our customers have asked for this type of a project," Davis said.

FPL has been negotiating with Sarasota County on the project for about a year. The county commissioners approved the concept of a solar facility last May and are expected to consider a contract for the Rothenbach Park site in mid-April.

FPL would not pay to use the land, but the county would have the option to negotiate to buy the facility or the energy it produces after eight years, said Gary Patton, Sarasota County's energy coordinator.

County officials have marked another area for a possible second power generator of the same size, he said.

The proposed solar panels are FPL's end of a bargain struck with customers who sign up for its Sunshine Energy program. So far, about 23,000 customers have agreed to pay an additional $9.75 per month to help FPL buy more power generated by wind, solar and bio-energy generators.

In addition to buying renewable energy from a Texas power producer, FPL said it would bring 150 kilowatts of solar power online for every 10,000 customers who signed up. This is the first project making good on that promise.

The Sarasota County solar facility will cost between $1 million and $2 million, a tab FPL says will be covered entirely through that Sunshine Energy revenue, not through base rates paid by all customers.

If the county commissioners give the green light next month, the covered landfill on Bee Ridge Road will become the home of 1,200 photovoltaic solar panels, each about 31 inches wide and 63 inches long.

Davis said the project's final price tag is still being determined, but the cost of building it will likely be between $4 and $8 per watt of electricity, a price significantly higher than that of a traditional power plant.

But the project will yield a relatively small amount of energy.

The array of solar panels at the site would produce about 250 kilowatts, enough to juice about 44 Florida homes. By comparison, Manatee County's two gas-fired units in Parrish produce a combined total of 1,591 megawatts, about 6,300 times more.

The project marks a step toward alternative energy and a broader mix of fuel sources for FPL, the state's largest utility.

The sun is not a primary fuel source for FPL, which relies heavily on natural gas and oil.

"Believe it or not, Florida isn't the best place for solar," Davis said. "Even though we're considered the Sunshine State, we have too much cloud cover for solar."

And though solar facilities are generally cleaner and more welcome than large power plants, finding room for them can be a challenge.

The landfill wasn't the first suggested location for a solar facility. FPL had first considered putting solar panels on roofs but resorted to the Bee Ridge Road site because of concerns about securing them in case of hurricanes.

FPL Group, the parent company of Florida Power & Light, has a subsidiary called FPL Energy that operates seven larger solar projects in California.

In Florida, the company has a small solar project at its Martin County plant. It also set up a miniature one at a Bradenton middle school as an educational tool.