WorldWater & Solar Technologies Corp. has confirmed it will build a photovoltaic (PV) system up to 1.2 Megawatts (MW) to provide electricity and water pumping power for the Valley Center Municipal Water District (VCMWD) of Valley Center, California.

"Our Board's vote for this project was enthusiastic and unanimous. Throughout the process, all involved recognized the importance of securing clean, reliable, cost effective electric energy to meet our commitment to our customers and community... We are very excited and anxious to keep the project moving forward and bring it online as soon as possible."

The system will be owned by Solar Power Partners of Mill Valley, California, which will operate it for VCMWD under a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). The actual size of the system will be determined by the results of environmental and site engineering work. VCMWD is the second largest water provider in San Diego County behind the City of San Diego.

The system will use WorldWater's proprietary AquaMax™ drives to provide pumping power for drinking water and irrigation. The system is capable of powering electric pumps up to 1,000 horsepower and operates automatically in combination with grid, battery and diesel power.

Gary Arant, General Manager of VCMWD, commented, "Our Board's vote for this project was enthusiastic and unanimous. Throughout the process, all involved recognized the importance of securing clean, reliable, cost effective electric energy to meet our commitment to our customers and community... We are very excited and anxious to keep the project moving forward and bring it online as soon as possible."

In 2006, WorldWater worked with VCMWD's Board of Directors on a project feasibility study and later procured rebates on their behalf from the California Public Utility Commission through the California Solar Initiative Program. WorldWater will engineer, supply and construct the system, and will maintain it for Solar Power Partners. The planned site is near VCMWD's Betsworth pumping station in Valley Center.

Pending environmental study approvals and final engineering, construction will start this year with completion scheduled for May 2008.