I think my DD2 and BF have already figured that is the future.

Their future "home dreams" include solar water heating and power generation. Electric cars with solar panels on the roof, at least for their "town car", and anything else that will make them self-sufficient as they live on the outskirts of town.

It is too my great relief that there are some growing up in reality and with their heads on straight, feet firmly on the ground.

I think your DW/DD2 are right. And it will, in the end, be a good thing. Learning to have a more modest energy footprint will go along with a change in out national consciousness. For to long we have failed to live within our means. Making up the difference through bullying and bluster when borrowing and printing money weren't enough.

Trimming back out our demands and expectations means we can be square with ourselves, see ourselves more realistically and being able to more accurately determine what is important, and the rest of the world.

If anyone is thinking of buying a house or land be aware that paying the real cost of energy means that people will be shifting into the cities. Most people fail to realize that on a median per person basis NYC is by far the most energy efficient place to live.

Look for rural properties and satellite communities to lose value as people find that a thirty mile commute no longer makes sense.

On the up side if you really want a rural retreat they might be going for cheap in a few years.

Its good to see that I'm not the only one that see's the electrical grid as a problem.

This is a brand new field of study, and there isn't much "theory" textbooks out there, but there are plenty of practical pamphlets for individuals and small businesses.

IzzyJG99 has the right view in that it is going to take more than one thing to get things done. A successful Emergency Preparedness program in your area will have a dual use for almost everything.

One thing no one mentioned: Community Involvement. We are a government "For the People, By the People". There should be community education programs EVERYWHERE that teach basic home preparation, BoB/72 hour kits, C.E.R.T., First Aid/CPR, Train-the-Trainer courses ( for those that want to help ), EMT, the list goes on. An educated community is a disaster resistant community.

That is what I ment by decenterisling the system. There is a condo development that I saw a piece on that has it's own wind generator that will meet most if not all of it's needs on site. The home engery people keep saying that the firast step is to reduce the amount of power you need. it is more most cost effective that trying to generate your all of your own power.