“…The debate engendered by Lovins' demarcation of the soft and hard paths toward alternative energy futures has been lively, and research in decentralized energy systems has flourished. * The decentralization-centralization debate is t>eing argued in a variety of ways on many fronts, from congressional committees (U.S. Senate 1977) to city councils as well as industrial promotional groups (Quinn and Ohi 1980) and religious councils (National Council of Churches of Christ 1978).…”