11 July 2025
This 10 July 2025 marked the 169th anniversary of the birth of Nikola Tesla, the protagonist of the cartoons that Foro Industria y Energía (FIE) publishes each week—an initiative aimed at revisiting topics of interest in the industry and presenting them in an accessible way. While the cartoons have been shared on FIE’s social media, today, in commemoration of Tesla’s birthday, the FIE is launching a new section of its website dedicated exclusively to gathering all the cartoons in one place (you can see it if you scroll down on our Home Page).
Why did we start making these cartoons?
FIE seeks to promote debate on the energy management of industry and raise awareness of its importance for boosting competitiveness. Achieving this goal involves analyzing the current landscape of energy-related topics and their relevance to industry. To that end, the FIE carries out various activities throughout the year, such as publishing articles and weekly newsletters or organizing debates and forums on relevant issues in the field.
However, we are aware that this topic can be highly complex, so we’ve looked for ways to address it more informally. Since March of this year, we’ve decided to create weekly cartoons. We chose this format because it’s a way to critically reflect on issues that relate to the mission of the FIE—and to do so in a short and accessible way.
Why did we choose Tesla?
We believe Nikola Tesla is the ideal figure for our cartoons because he embodies many points of reference for today’s energy and industrial sectors. He was born under the influence of the first industrial revolution. He grew up in a world where technologies like steam engines and the telegraph were already widespread and could witness firsthand how these inventions transformed society. In this context, he studied electrical engineering at the University of Graz.
Tesla also played a key role in the second industrial revolution, which brought technological innovations such as new energy sources based on gas or electricity—the latter driven primarily by Tesla, alongside Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse.
His importance, however, is not merely historical. His influence is still present today. For instance, Tesla was the inventor of the electrical distribution system we use today: alternating current (AC). This system, which offered several advantages over direct current (DC), led him to triumph in the famous “war of the currents” against Thomas Edison.
Edison advocated for the use of DC due to its lower voltage, which made it safer for end users. However, this system made energy transmission inefficient—especially over long distances. AC, championed by Tesla, allows for more efficient long-distance transmission, but requires higher voltages, which raised safety concerns. Tesla addressed this by inventing a transformer that could increase voltage for transmission and reduce it before reaching end users.
Tesla proved the undeniable superiority of his proposal during the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Organizers needed to light the venue and approached both rivals for a solution. Tesla’s project outperformed Edison’s—not only illuminating more than 100,000 electric bulbs but doing so with a much smaller budget. Thus, the nearly 27 million attendees (equivalent to almost half the U.S. population at the time) witnessed firsthand how Tesla’s project would shape the energy consumption model of the future—something that remains true to this day.
What if Nikola Tesla were to rise from the grave?
Today, we believe that if Nikola Tesla were to rise from the grave, he would be pleased to see that many of his ideas remain relevant almost two centuries after his birth, and that his work was fundamental to the global technological and industrial development. At the same time, we think Tesla would also offer a pragmatic view of today’s challenges in industrial energy management—examining the complexity of recent months, from the impact of an unusually rainy March on the energy mix, to geopolitical issues like the bombing of energy facilities in Ukraine, or even cultural references like the 40th anniversary of Max Mix. And of course, he would reflect on the blackout, marvelling at David Copperfield’s ability to make 15 GW of electricity disappear!
With his deep knowledge of electrical systems, Tesla would no doubt recognize the vital importance of electrification as the backbone of the energy transition. Yet just as he once addressed concerns over the safety of alternating current with innovative solutions like the transformer, today he would urge us to consider the robustness and resilience of our infrastructure. The recent blackout on the Iberian Peninsula on 28 April 2025 would serve, for him, as a clear reminder that even in the most advanced systems, it is crucial to anticipate and mitigate any vulnerabilities to ensure a reliable and secure power supply.
In line with this view, the FIE has emphasized that industry needs certainty in a context of structural uncertainty. In this regard, Tesla would surely support the idea of a strong and unified regulatory body. FIE’s proposal for a strengthened National Energy Commission (Comisión Nacional de la Energía, CNE), capable of acting as a coordinating and supervisory authority for the energy system, would resonate with his drive for maximum efficiency and safety. Tesla, who understood the intricate web of interdependencies in energy supply, would see in a globally minded CNE the key to ensuring supply security and strategic autonomy—beyond partial solutions. The confusion caused by differing reports about the blackout would only reinforce his conviction that a common and transparent narrative for the industry is essential to build trust and confidence in investment decisions.
A staunch believer in practical progress, Tesla would no doubt understand that the full integration of renewable energies—while critical to electrification—requires continuous improvements in their ability to provide system services, as well as regulation that effectively supports them. The push for electrification and system resilience, backed by investments such as the €931 million from the PRTR for grid reinforcement, would be aligned with his vision—provided it is accompanied by predictability and continuity over time to attract large-scale business investment.
In this context of energy security and strategic autonomy, Tesla would likely welcome the recent stance taken by Parliament in declaring energy a vital strategic asset for national security, as reflected in the PNL approved by the Joint Committee on National Security. He, who fought for the implementation of a superior electric system, would surely remind us that industry must not be a passive actor, but rather take a proactive role in shaping an energy framework that secures its future. His legacy calls on us to face the challenges of electrification with the same critical insight and innovative spirit that defined him—always striving for maximum efficiency and resilience in the energy systems of tomorrow.