Mixed Greens: CBD wins US solar contract

ASX-listed renewables company CBD Energy has won its first solar deal in the US, a commercial contract valued at $US3.8 million. The deal will see CDB provide a solar system for a school in New Jersey, with multiple rooftop and carport solar panels to power the school and excess power to be sold into the local grid. CBD describes the project as its first step in establishing a US solar EPC (engineering, procurement and construct) business, using project management services from CBD’s international division and its US partner, Westinghouse Solar. The contract comes just one month after CBD’s merger with the US-based designer and manufacturer of integrated rooftop solar power systems  was made official. The merger with Westinghouse Solar is set to be finalised in the third quarter 2012, with CBD shareholders to own 85 per cent of the merged entity.

CBD says the new US solar project will take three months to complete, with the positive financial impact expected to be recognised in the merged entity during the second half of 2012. “The successful completion of this first solar project will be an important demonstration of CBD’s competitive advantage in a market that has significant renewable energy development,” said James Greer, CBD Energy’s senior vice president of US Development & Investor Relations. “As CBD solidifies its US market presence by merging with Westinghouse Solar, we are looking forward to increasing project volume and further validating our entrance in the US market.” Gerry McGowan, CBD’s general manager, described the move into the US market as an “important milestone,” and said it leveraged CBD’s experience from projects under construction in Europe, Asia and the South Pacific.

It’s official: America’s running hot

The first half of 2012 was the warmest start to any year in America, going back to 1895, according to the National Climatic Data Center, with drought now covering more than half the contiguous 48 US states. Bloomberg reports that the national temperature in these states was 11.6°C from January to June or 2.5°C above average, according to the Climatic Center in Asheville, North Carolina. The 12 months from July 2011 to June were also the warmest on record. “Every state across the contiguous US has warmer-than- average temperatures for the period, except Washington, which was near normal,” according to the Climatic Center’s monthly state of the climate report.

“During the June 2011-June 2012 period, each of the 13 consecutive months ranked among the warmest third of their historical distribution for the first time in the 1895-present record,” the NOAA said. “The odds of this occurring randomly is 1 in 1,594,323.” According to meteorologist Dr Jeff Masters, who was quoted by Joe Romm on Climate Progress, this means “we should only see one more 13-month period so warm between now and 124,652 AD – assuming the climate is staying the same as it did during the past 118 years. These are ridiculously long odds, and it is highly unlikely that the extremity of the heat during the past 13 months could have occurred without a warming climate.” The NOAA report also noted that, according to the US Drought Monitor, as of July 3, 56 per cent of the contiguous US experienced drought conditions, marking the largest percentage of the nation experiencing drought conditions in the Drought Monitor’s 12-year record.