"If the Italian grid were to collapse, it wouldn"t be a problem for us during nine months of the year – spring, summer and autumn – given normal weather. We"d just switch our network to "isolated operation" [for self-consumption]," says Schwitzer. In winter, the cooperative purchases additional energy from the market. If it could store the energy from the warmer months, it would be self-sufficient all year round. The community-centred model is not unusual in the region, where small firms and cooperatives are seen as adding diversity and resilience to the energy sector. According to Thomas Senoner, the director of South Tyrol"s public agency for the sustainable use of water resources, part of the region"s energy policy is to support rural life in the mountains, including traditional cooperatives.