Buildings capable of generating their own power for heating and cooling purposes belonged to the realm of science fiction not so very long ago. Now they’re becoming increasingly prevalent, with tech giants like Apple paving the way for their widespread adoption. In many ways it’s no surprise because according to industry research, heating buildings is one of the biggest challenges in the drive to provide affordable yet secure low carbon energy on a grand scale. The electricity used to control building temperatures accounts for nearly half of our energy consumption globally and around a third of our total carbon emissions. Government directives the world…