U.S. President Barack Obama travels to Arcadia, Fla., Tuesday to tour a solar energy plant and announce plans to modernize the nation's electric power grid.

Obama will tour DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center then announce stimulus funding for several smart grid projects that will help modernize the infrastructure, enhance its reliability, promote efficiency and permit integration of clean, renewable energy, the White House said.

The projects are expected to create tens of thousands of jobs while laying the groundwork for changing how energy is used and paid for by consumers, the Los Angeles Times reported.

In addition to improving the efficiency and reliability of the U.S. power supply, the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act spending also is aimed at creating markets for wind and solar power, White House officials said.