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Energised businesses: looking for a go-ahead business sector to get into? Alternative energy is a concept whose time has come and it is spawning a host of opportunities for innovative entrepreneurial people to establish new businesses. Liz Light reports.

Article Excerpt
New Zealand has an abundance of the elements needed for alternative energy--sun, wind, forest, and water--and now, with the sign-on of Russia, the Kyoto Protocols have become reality. Emission units (carbon credits) are saleable items and the government is promoting alternative energy, and supporting it through the granting of emission units and interest free loans for solar water heating.

Alternative energy is permeating the consciousness of New Zealanders and is creating business opportunities for enthusiasts and trend spotters.

Sun

The Harris family had an engineering company in Onehunga and Adam Harris, son of the founder, saw a business opportunity in manufacturing solar heating systems. He formed Solar Master 13 years ago but, back then, simply supplying solar heating units didn't provide the required workflow. Solar heating units also used copper cylinders and did not work with mains pressure, so Harris and his team designed a more versatile mains pressure hot water cylinder that could be hooked up to solar heating, and or electricity, and could also be connected to wet-back fire places.

The cylinder is manufactured from high quality 2205 stainless steel, incorporates a stainless steel heat exchange coil and has sold very successfully. Solar Master is a wholesaler who supplies these cylinders to major plumbing and heating merchants for domestic and commercial installations.

Some end-customers buy the cylinder only, some just buy the solar system and fit it with an existing cylinder, and some buy both. There is a choice of three different types of solar water heating systems, and numerous cylinders to fit different buildings and situations.

In recent years awareness of solar water heating has increased. The government is providing interest-free loans to businesses and homes to encourage installation, and Solar Master's sales have soared. The company has recently taken on new people to bring the number of employees to 12, and will be taking on more in early 2005. Solar water heating is an idea whose time has come and Solar Master is ready for it.

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Forest and Fire

Ultimately,...