That is exactly right. We never experienced an alternative because it wasn't presented to us as an option.
I always think about solar power as a great example. If all of us put solar on our roofs the energy industry would become decentralised. But they don't want that, so instead the energy industry have bought all the solar companies to keep the focus of attention on solar farms (which feed the energy back into the grid) rather than creating it exactly where it is needed, in the home.
The single cell example is very fitting with this because if a power station goes down, millions of homes would be without electricity. But in the decentralised solar situation, one house going down doesn't affect the neighbours.