The grid, as a social necessity, needs to be managed centrally, with efficiency as the ultimate criteria.
There is a reasonable argument if the finer mesh of the grid is better managed by smaller and more nimble companies, and reasonable people can disagree over that. It's is probably heavily dependent on local characteristics. Peak oil is not an energy crisis. It is a liquid fuel crisis.
As J pointed out before, it was the incompetence, not the government or the system, hindered by the quarterly profit motive. "Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anaïs Nin
