Who controls the power?

How today’s energy system creates vulnerability—and how communities can build a greater stake in their energy future.

The big picture

Energy security begins with a practical question: Can people obtain dependable, affordable power when they need it?

The Strait of Hormuz crisis exposes how much depends on distant infrastructure, shipping routes and political decisions.

Community-owned renewable energy offers a way to reduce that exposure while keeping more decision-making and economic value close to home.

Getting there requires changes in ownership, financing, regulation and local capability alongside new technology.

1. What does our energy system look like?

It is a collection of connected systems:

• Oil supplies transportation fuels and petrochemical feedstocks.
• Natural gas provides heating, industrial energy and electricity.
• Coal remains important in electricity generation and industry.
• Nuclear, hydropower, wind, solar and other sources supply electricity.

Electricity is only one part of energy use. Replacing a gas-fired power station does not automatically replace diesel trucks, aircraft fuel or industrial furnaces.

The transition is advancing, but unevenly. The International Energy Agency reports that renewables and nuclear together supplied more than the entire increase in global electricity generation in 2025. Fossil fuels nevertheless still generated more than half of the world’s electricity.

How it works: Fuels are extracted, processed and transported. Power plants convert energy into electricity. Transmission lines carry it over distance; local distribution networks deliver it to customers. Grid operators continuously balance supply and demand.

A breakdown anywhere along those connections can interrupt service.

2. Who owns it?

There is no single owner. Ownership changes across countries and across the supply chain.

Saudi Aramco, for example, is majority-owned by the Saudi government. In U.S. electricity, investor-owned utilities, public utilities and member-owned cooperatives coexist.

The company sending your bill may buy electricity from another company and use a separately operated grid.

The question behind the bill: Who owns the assets, sets the terms, receives the earnings and carries the risk?

Public ownership, community ownership and renewable generation describe different things. A cooperative can buy fossil-fuel electricity. A private company can own a solar farm.

3. What does the Strait of Hormuz have to do with it?

The Strait of Hormuz connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the wider ocean. It is a critical export passage beside Iran and Oman.

The International Energy Agency estimates that nearly 20 million barrels of oil per day moved through it in 2025. It also carried approximately 19% of global liquefied natural gas trade. Alternative pipelines cannot replace all those oil flows.

The current situation: Reuters reported on October 14 that two commercial vessels had sunk near the strait after separate projectile attacks. The International Maritime Organization continues to report serious disruption and danger to seafarers.

The consequences travel:

Attacks and uncertainty → delayed or avoided voyages → reduced deliveries and higher transport costs → pressure on fuel prices and essential services.

Oil underground is different from diesel delivered to a farm, hospital or trucking depot. Refining capacity, suitable tankers, insurance, ports and safe passage all matter.

Countries buying elsewhere can still face higher costs as buyers compete for alternative supplies.

The systems lesson: Energy availability and dependable access are different problems.

4. Does competition for energy create conflict?

It can trigger disputes, intensify existing conflicts and help sustain violence.

The UN Environment Programme identifies several pathways: competition over valuable resources; grievances about unequal benefits and environmental damage; and resource revenues financing armed groups.

Energy infrastructure also creates strategic pressure points. Governments and armed actors can threaten pipelines, export terminals and shipping routes to gain bargaining power.

But energy is not a complete explanation for every war. Territorial disputes, security fears, political power and historical grievances also matter.

Mobilized’s analysis: Reducing dependence on vulnerable fuel routes can reduce one source of exposure. It cannot, by itself, guarantee peace.

Clean energy needs responsible supply chains too. The International Energy Agency warns that critical-mineral processing remains highly concentrated. Replacing fuel dependence with poorly governed mineral dependence would leave another vulnerability.

5. What could community-owned clean energy look like?

Picture a town with solar on schools and warehouses, shared batteries, efficient buildings and other suitable local resources.

A cooperative or community institution owns some of that infrastructure. Residents elect representatives, inspect accounts and decide how benefits are shared.

The electricity may travel through the existing utility network. Alternatively, a properly designed microgrid can serve connected buildings and operate separately during an outage. Owning generation does not automatically mean owning the wires.

The potential benefits:

• Greater price stability: Solar and wind reduce exposure to purchased fuel prices.
• Local economic value: Earnings can support maintenance, member benefits and community priorities.
• Democratic influence: Residents gain a formal voice in decisions.
• Stronger essential services: Appropriately designed systems can support refrigeration, communications and other critical needs during outages.
• Local capability: Installation, operations, accounting and maintenance create opportunities for skills and employment.

There is an economic foundation for this approach. The International Renewable Energy Agency found that 91% of new utility-scale renewable capacity commissioned in 2024 produced electricity more cheaply than the cheapest new fossil-fuel alternative.

That comparison concerns generation costs. Storage, financing, grid upgrades and delivery still affect the final bill.

A crucial distinction: “Community solar” does not necessarily mean community ownership. Many programs offer subscriptions and bill credits while a utility or developer owns the project. Ask who owns it, who votes and who receives the surplus.

6. Who is already doing it?

Eigg, Scotland: Community-owned generation and distribution

Eigg Electric has supplied continuous electricity since 2008 through an island-owned network combining hydro, wind, solar and batteries, with diesel backup. The operator reports that renewables provide around 95% of electricity. Trained island residents maintain the system.

The lesson: Local ownership can include the equipment, wires and operating knowledge.

Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi: A member-owned utility making a transition

Kauaʻi Island Utility Cooperative reported 52.8% renewable generation in 2025. Its members elect its board.

It demonstrates how a cooperative utility can increase renewable supply over time. Its electricity supply still includes fossil fuels.

Adjuntas, Puerto Rico: Protecting community services

Casa Pueblo and the Honnold Foundation developed Adjuntas Pueblo Solar. Casa Pueblo describes solar and storage connecting 13 businesses around the public square to maintain operations during blackouts.

The lesson: A community can begin with a practical cluster of essential services.

Som Energia, Spain: Members financing renewable generation

Som Energia’s Generation kWh program uses member loans to build or acquire renewable generating facilities.

It demonstrates a route into collective generation without requiring each household to own a suitable roof.

7. What stands in the way?

The obstacles are financial, technical and political.

Upfront money. Communities need development funding before a project earns revenue. Affordable lending and guarantees can matter as much as equipment prices.

Access to the grid. Connection queues, network limits, permits and utility rules can delay viable projects.

Reliability. Solar and wind vary. Communities must plan for changing weather, demand peaks, equipment failures and prolonged emergencies.

Rules and incentives. Existing arrangements may make it easier to sell electricity from conventional projects than to share it among neighbors.

Fair participation. Renters and households without savings can be excluded unless access is designed into the project.

Long-term responsibility. Batteries need replacement. Equipment needs insurance and maintenance. Democratic ownership still requires competent management.

The International Renewable Energy Agency identifies financing and grid integration as major barriers, while its community-energy guidance emphasizes technical, regulatory and financial capability.

8. How do we get there?

A practical Mobilized action pathway:

1. Map the need. Identify bills, outages and essential services that require protection.
2. Reduce avoidable demand. Improve efficiency before sizing new equipment.
3. Organize ownership. Define voting rights, accountability and participation for households with limited means.
4. Commission an independent feasibility study. Compare resources, storage, network access, full costs and realistic savings.
5. Secure the rules and financing. Confirm permits, connection terms, contracts and responsibilities before construction.
6. Build a useful first project. A school, clinic, cooperative housing site or business cluster can provide a manageable starting point.
7. Train people and publish results. Track reliability, bill savings, renewable output and maintenance reserves before expanding.

Local projects can work alongside regional grids and larger renewable facilities. Different places need different combinations.

The opportunity is to give communities a greater stake in the infrastructure their lives depend on.

Mobilized can help connect working projects with communities, engineers, cooperatives, public institutions and finance partners—and report what succeeds, what fails and what others can adapt.

The question for every community:

What would it take for us to own more of the power we depend on?