In my humble opinion, the more decentralized we are, be it in energy, economics, or government rule, the better off we will generally be. Self-sufficiency is a term that is completely foreign to our society these days. Those who consider an off-grid, or semi off-grid lifestyle are labeled as hermits and kooks. Just think what it would be like if people could provide all, or at least a portion of, their own energy via solar panels, or grew some of their own food.