[Blarg]

Yet citizens do wind up with benefits in society at times, by having politicians deign to take up their causes, or, more likely perhaps, fear not to. Look at the AARP.

I love the idea of non-centralized energy production changing the way energy is handled for the better in much the same way the internet has changed the lock that a relatively small number of media companies had on information flow. Of course the process would work much differently, but it seems mass personal energy independence could eventually be of world-historical import.

I could see some countries hopping on board with some of these ideas far before others, for the political factors you cite.