There’s a scam born every minute in the business world and the environmental marketplace is no exception.

A simple Internet search shows that for a few hundred dollars — or thousands — there are scores of companies ready to sell solar panels, wind turbines and biodiesel kits promising fuel as low as 70 cents a gallon. Carbon offsets — contracts to offset the production of carbon dioxide through such actions as tree plantings or wind farms — are also available en masse.

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The problem is distinguishing the legitimate from the fraudulent. Some products, such as carbon offsets, are relatively new, have no regulation and few measurable ways to ensure they work. Others, such as the do-it-yourself kits to convert a car engine to use pure vegetable oil, are not approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and are illegal in the United States.

So how can an environmentally conscientious consumer separate fact from fiction? Research, research, research.

“It’s common sense stuff, but it needs to be repeated,” said Omay Elphick, deputy director of People’s Power & Light of Providence, a nonprofit organization that promotes renewable energy.

Investigate the service or product you wish to use, and become familiar with the pros and cons.

Solicit multiple bids. Seek references from people who have used the product or service. Get to know the available companies — the Better Business Bureau or an industry trade organization, such as the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association or the American Wind Energy Association, could shed light on the company’s standing.

Still, even a company that appears to be reputable could lead to problems.

Last year, Sherri Mahoney-Battles, a Westport, Mass., accountant who wanted a small wind turbine for her home to support renewable energy, hired WindTechCo, a turbine installer from East Freetown, Mass.

Mahoney-Battles said the company’s owner, Mark Howland, told her that his company worked with the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, the state’s development agency for renewable energy, and was a registered dealer for Bergey Windpower, a turbine manufacturer in Oklahoma. Howland was also a state representative.

In April 2006, a site analysis showed her property had enough wind to support a turbine. In August, she mailed a check for $4,702 to WindTechCo and obtained a building permit.

For nearly three months, the company didn’t respond. After numerous e-mails, Mahoney-Battles said, Howland came to her house in November, poured two concrete foundations in her backyard and requested more money.

“I said we haven’t got anything except two concrete footings and you want an additional $9,600?” she said. “That’s when all the bells and whistles went off.”

Mahoney-Battles contacted the state attorney general’s office and the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative and discovered that other customers had similar problems with the company. In March, the Massachusetts attorney general filed a lawsuit against Howland, accusing WindTechCo of misinforming customers about wind energy and failing to safely install wind turbines.

The lawsuit alleged Howland took payments of $250 to $50,000 from 80 customers in southern Massachusetts, misrepresented the electricity capabilities of the wind turbines and the state’s rebate policy, and, in many cases failed to provide services or materials.

While Mahoney-Battles got part of her money back before the lawsuit was filed, the experience taught her to be more cautious. “The best advice is to go slow and do a lot of research,” she said. “There’s all kinds of contractors popping up saying they can install a turbine, and it’s a complicated process.”

Mahoney-Battles still plans on getting her wind turbine, and she has hired another company. “I still love the concept. I feel real passionate we need these alternative sources, and the wind is out there. It’s just a matter of getting qualified people to get the turbine in.”

Another customer of WindTechCo, Jim McBratney, advises customers of any renewable energy project to ask detailed questions about the process, such as who is responsible for getting the building permit or doing the construction. McBratney, president of Sylvan Nursery Inc., in Westport, hired WindTechCo to install a 10-kilowatt wind tower. The nursery was one of the few customers to get the turbine, but had to hire other contractors to install it.

Beyond getting references, McBratney advised consumers to talk with people like himself who have been through the process and to keep a close eye on the progress of the project.

“In your mind you might want to set up a time schedule for your contractor, and if that time scheme is being skewed, ask questions,” McBratney said. “Always ask questions.”

mlee@pressofac.com