http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2005/10/5/15453/7223#2

This sort of system lends itself to local power producers, those with wind, solar, and biofuel resources, teaming up with consumers in electrical cooperatives.

Producers and consumers, many members both producing and consuming owning and controlling local area power grids.

Think of farmers with manure digestors that produce natural gas, running generators to sell power to their neighbors with wind or solar power systems when the wind isn't blowing or the sun is not shining.

This could all fit together, even to the point of members producing ethanol or biodiesel from the waste stream to sell to other coop members.

And lots of small businesses would build and install the systems.

Starting out with small solar or wind systems that only replace a fraction of grid power in the home, reducing energy bills while paying their way in a few years from savings.  As people become more comfortable with small inexpensive systems, they could then add on capacity, until gradually a local area grid supports itself with no outside input.

Given the complete and utter incompetence and corruption of government and big monopoly business, especially when they work fist in glove as this neoconman regime does, locally is the only way this energy revolution will ever get started.

Eventually local coops could pool resources to invest in larger wind, biofuel, and solar projects, replacing the old monopoly companies completely.