So how far back are we likely to go……………..

[Devonian]

When I was saying why would we be worse off, I mean worse off than those at the beginning of the 20th Century, rather than being worse off then now.

Yes I agree that virtually the entire population will not have experienced life without mains electricity and could not imaging life without it. But if $hit happens, then that is the situation we will be in. People will either 'adapt' or 'die'.

And history shows that largely people adapt.

I can't find it now, but one example was during the war in Serbia/Croatia where the city was totally cut off and there were no supplies going in or out, there were no mains power or gas supplies and the city was under attack.

But the people generated their own power using Heath Robinson techniques to build water turbine generators, which where tethered to a bridge and then lowered into the river below.