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The word 'visionary' is universally associated with the name of Nikola Tesla. A brilliant inventor and eccentric thinker, he combined scientific brilliance with an insatiable curiosity about the future. More than a hundred years have passed since Tesla died alone in a New York hotel room, forgotten by much of the world. Yet far from slipping into obscurity, his thinking has endured across generations and continues to astonish even today.

The early twentieth century was a time of intense industrial expansion, following decades of change brought about by the rise of mechanisation and new forms of energy. In the present day, the planet faces a different kind of emergency: an energy and climate crisis fuelled by overconsumption and environmental neglect.

Around 1901, as electricity grids struggled to expand in growing American cities, Tesla turned his attention to wireless power transmission. In line with the bold engineering ideals of the age, he began work on a global energy system which, due to financial collapse, would never be completed. Yet given that conventional energy systems are a major driver of environmental degradation today, it is only natural to ask how Tesla might have reshaped the future of energy.

Although the early 20th century is best known for its advances in transport, manufacturing, and communication, it is less often remembered as the period when electrical engineering emerged as a serious scientific discipline. Until then, the large-scale distribution of power had rarely been approached with methodical planning or long-term vision.