The recent news of President Obama’s $7 billion program to bring electricity to 20 million households and businesses in six sub-Saharan nations in Africa is both timely and strategic, as electricity is foundational to economic growth and is the linchpin — the most fundamental critical infrastructure — of modern society.

The news also served as a reminder that the United States faces its own pressing challenges regarding its electric infrastructure.

Access to affordable energy has been a fundamental driver of prosperity throughout the globe and in the U.S., but it has also led to a high degree of waste and complacency about investing in infrastructure. The average U.S. citizen consumes about 100 times the amount of electricity used, on average,