Introduction

In our world, it's all about energy. Cheap electricity has become the true backbone of our economy. We need cheap electricity 24 hours, 7 days a week. Society almost breaks down when power is lost. No TV, Internet, or air conditioning drives most people mad within a few hours. When the grid broke down in New Orleans after hurricane Katrina in 2005, even police were seen looting stores within 24 hours.

The availability of cheap electricity on a continuous basis is taken for granted in high-income countries. Large supply chains of cheap natural gas or coal ensure power plants are able to deliver cheap electricity 24/7. In less-developed countries, people are used to power outages. The majority of factories today operate on a 24/7 basis thanks to the automation of most processes combined with cheap electricity. The more interrupted the flow of electricity is, the more expensive electricity is. The restrictions are so severe that economies without such a constant flow of electricity are not able to expand and grow GDP per capita beyond $10,000–$15,000 per person.[1]–[3]