Why might some choose a "soft" energy path, while others choose a "hard" path? Explain their respective reasons

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Proponents of the "hard energy path" believe that centralization leads to
economies of scale and to the most appropriate partitioning of resources. Also, as Samuel
Insull pointed out a century ago, a great number of consumers is more predicable than
individual demand. This allows electric utilities, for instance, to have less generating capacity
than the sum of the consumers' generating capacities.
Proponents of the soft path believe that dispersal of sources and the simplicity of the
technology can satisfy the demands for energy. The sources and receivers of the end use
energy are matched in scale and quality. These people think that renewable energy,
cogeneration, and cogeneration make the greatest sense and fit these "soft energy path"
criteria.