A low carbon economy requires careful financial planning to ensure a smooth economic transition. New technologies, companies and business models provide alternative investment opportunities, and the changing financial landscape will affect existing markets, stocks and shares. Regulation, incentives, tax, loans and grants are all part of the low carbon economy. - Description added by: David Lockie

Renewable and alternative energy sources are set to play an increasingly important role in providing the electricity, heat, cooling and fuels that society needs. There is a wide range of energy sources such as solar (both photovoltaic and solar thermal), wind, bio-fuels and biomass, hydro-electric, geothermal and heat pumps. - Description added by: David Lockie

Utilities are services that include the supply of gas, electricity, water, and sewerage. The term utilities may also be used to describe the companies that supply such services. Low carbon utilities refer to services that have a lower carbon footprint than the traditional services, such as supplies of low carbon electricity generated by renewable energy sources for example. - Description added by: David Lockie

Communities consist of homes, businesses and sometimes industrial concerns, with infrastructure like health care, transport, communications, government and utilities. Many decisions about low carbon need to be considered at the community level in order to ensure that ‘joined-up thinking’ is applied to the process. Click the picture to the right to explore our interactive community environment. - Description added by: David Lockie