大容量、高参数机组发电，超高压、远距离、大电网集中供电是一些工业化国家电力工业走过的路。但是情况在变化，国外越来越多的人对下一个世纪是否还走这条路，提出了看法。英国《经济学人》杂志的一篇文章指出“可能发生──实际上正在发生的事情是在新增的发电中，小电厂发电 Large-capacity, high-parameter units generating electricity, ultra-high voltage, long-distance, and large-scale power grids are the way for the power industry in some industrialized countries. However, the situation is changing, and more and more people in foreign countries have offered their views on whether this road will be taken in the next century. An article in the British ”Economist“ magazine pointed out that ”it may happen - what is actually happening is that in the new generation of power generation, small power plants generate electricity.