A BRAVE NEW ELECTRICITY ECOSYSTEM

became an instrument for a variety of applications so wide, and with such a great impact in our wellbeing, our economic activity and our leisure, that current human life cannot be understood without it. We critically depend on it. Everyone is aware of the horrible consequences of a black-out. It is therefore necessary for our political leaders and institutions to establish the necessary regulatory frameworks, to adopt technical prescriptions and approve long-term strategic planning to face the future development of this industry. And we cannot forget that we are talking about a rather peculiar industry supporting a rather peculiar market. The electricity energy unit, the kilowatt-hour, has the shortest life of all commercial goods: from birth to grave, around one millisecond. If electricity generation is unable to match electricity demand at that time-scale, the full electricity system can collapse.