You might be surprised. People are quite open to coughing up money for issues that affect them locally and directly, like schools.

I guess I've been unlucky with the school districts I've lived in, and others I've read about.

Energy is no more of a permanent monopoly than anything else is. It's just a matter of prices and convenience driving new technology. Not that long ago I remember people saying that the phone company would forever be a monopoly since it required lines.

Unfortunately, the anology with telephone service doesn't really hold up. I doubt "broadcast" power could ever be practical. Since the concept's been around since (at least) 1950's sci-fi, you'd think that if it were feasible, someone would have tried by now. Electricity needs wires the way water (and sewer) needs pipes.

I would really like to see a study of generating efficiency comparing a town with many local natural gas (not hydrogen) fuel cell generators (can they be "throttled?") vs. a central natural gas power plant using combustion and transmission lines.

So would I. Emerging energy technologies need every support they can get. BUT - as a whole lot of Canadians and Americans found out, we also need to fix the system we're using, because emerging tech will not emerge fast enough.

A real issue is that the modern environmental movement has made it difficult-to-impossible to create any form of large new energy infrastructure, especially if some corporation is involved. You can't build power plants. You can't build new transmission lines. Hell, you can't even build renewable energy dams and windmills.

In this area, I agree with you. And if I'd thought of a way to get people to listen to reason about energy need vs impact, I'd have passed it on by now, or be using it myself. I wonder how many organizations' offices and officers were inconvenienced by this latest reminder that Murphy Rules.

On town-based power systems: I don't know how many had their own, but probably thousands, before being gobbled up by "economies of scale". I do know of at least one that still operates: Chambersburg, PA. And don't forget the Rural Electric Cooperatives, some of whom have retained their generating capacity instead of being just another re-seller.