Business

Green electricity is now available from Acton Hydro and the Concord Light Plant! Electricity generated from hydro-electric power stations produces minimal pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

Sign up for Green Power today from the Concord Light Plant by contacting: Dale Cronan (978) 318-3102 or via email dcronan@concordma.gov.

Starting in early 2008 a limited supply of green electricity will be available in 100 kilowatt hour increments for $3 per increment every two months.

"KeySpan offers rebates to its residential, commercial, industrial, and multifamily customers for the installation of solar thermal technologies. KeySpan first conducts a free energy audit to interested participants to identify appropriate solar thermal technologies as well as estimated natural gas savings. Recommended solar thermal applications may include solar hot water heating, solar space heating, solar pool heating, and/or high temperature process applications." -DSIRE site

"The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC), as administrator of the state's Renewable Energy Trust Fund, is offering financial assistance in the form of loans to support renewable energy companies entering or expanding within the manufacturing stage of commercial development. Applicants must be companies that currently, or plan to, manufacture renewable energy technology products in Massachusetts. These may be new products, existing products or a combination of the two.

"In Massachusetts, businesses may take a credit against the state excise tax for the purchase and installation of a solar water-heating system. The system must be installed at a commercial building, and the credit may not exceed $300 or 15% of the system cost, whichever is less. This credit expires December 31, 2007. A business may carry over unused portions of the credit for use in taxable year 2007" (DSIRE site). Check out Corporate Credit for more information.

"This statute exempts solar and wind energy systems that qualify for the Excise Tax Deduction for Solar or Wind Powered Systems from the tangible property measure of the state's corporate excise tax. The exemption is in effect for the length of the system's depreciation period" (DSIRE site).

Visit Tax Exemption for more information regarding this type of exemption.

"Businesses may deduct from net income, for state excise tax purposes, costs incurred from the installation of any "solar or wind powered climatic control unit and any solar or wind powered water heating unit or any other type unit or system powered thereby." The installation must be located in Massachusetts and used exclusively in the trade or business of the corporation. A system or unit that qualifies for this deduction will not be taxed under the tangible property measure of the state's corporate excise tax.

Established in 1995, the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency [DSIRE] is an ongoing project of the North Carolina Solar Center and the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) funded by the U.S. Department of Energy.

The DSIRE database is a comprehensive list of financial incentives for lowering your impact on the environment. Visit DSIRE Massachusetts for listings.

Adopt the sky: learn more about how you can reduce air pollution at http://www.adoptthesky.org/?source=ozone_email2

Install a water purification system instead of purchasing bottled water. Learn more about why treating tap water is better than bottled: http://www.ucsusa.org/publications/greentips/is-bottled-water-better.htm... and comparisons of water filtering systems http://www.waterfiltercomparisons.net/WaterFilter_Comparison.cfm

Instead of purchasing a new trade show booth try a re-usable trade show production service from companies such as SecondLife Exhibits http://www.secondlifeexhibits.com/