Masdar: World Centre for Renewable Energy

This month will see groundbreaking for the six-square-kilometre, USD22 billion project that its backers say will be the world's first zero-pollution carbon-neutral urban center. Masdar (which means "the source" in Arabic), will be capable of housing 47,500 people, some of whom will take up residence this year. Construction is expected to take 10 years.

The only component of this visionary new city where construction has actually begun is the solar power plant that will provide energy to the Masdar Institute , the project's headquarters which will open in late 2009. The solar plant will provide the energy required to build the rest of the city. In typical Abu Dhabi fashion, it will be the largest grid-connected solar plant in the Middle East. Solar energy is something Abu Dhabi has in great abundance.

The Masdar City master plan melts centuries-old principles of traditional Arabic urban planning and architecture with leading technologies designed to create a sustainable, high-quality living environment for all residents.

The City will be built in seven carefully designed phases, incorporating the latest technological advances generated in its clean-tech cluster and globally. No cars will be allowed in the city. People will get around through an electric light-rail system that will be linked to the center of Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.

A desalination facility will be 80 percent more efficient than existing plants, and all wastewater will be purified and recycled to grow plants that could be used for biofuels.

Masdar will be the home of the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, which backers hope will attract some of the best academics from the around the world. Also envisioned are research and development facilities from multinational companies and start-ups in the clean technology area.

Masdar is seeking to become the world headquarters of the newly launched International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).