zero carbon

"Dale Vince, founder of UK-based green energy company Ecotricity, was pretty opinionated when we interviewed him last year, and his promise of a revolutionary new domestic wind turbine certainly cought our attention.

Masdar City, the world first zero-carbon city, will look strikingly different from today's urban hubs. There will be no sky scrapers or cars. Instead, the city will consist of low-rises lined with solar panels to take advantage of the near-constant sunshine. It's 50,000 residents will move around the 2.4 square miles of the city a series of transport pods which function much like horizontal elevators.

The government says the regulation is designed to "help kick start the market for zero-carbon homes, encourage microgeneration technologies, and raise public awareness of the benefits of living in zero-carbon homes".

Home buyers can save up to £15,000, but the building industry warns that not many are likely to benefit soon.