microgrid

noun

mi·​cro·​grid ˈmī-krō-ˌgrid 

variants or less commonly micro-grid

plural microgrids also micro-grids

: a small grid

The Logitech io Pen … only works when writing on special paper that's embedded with an invisible microgrid of tiny dots arranged like graph paper.

—Frank Bajak

especially : a local electrical grid (see grid sense 2a(3)) that can be connected to a larger network but that is also capable of operating independently

When the community fell dark after the storm, there remained all but one source of power: a solar microgrid operated by Casa Pueblo, an environmental nonprofit and community center.

—Greta Moran

Microgrids, with their own electricity-generating capacity, are a better bet. Most of these local grids are operated by private organisations such as military bases, industrial plants and universities, which need more dependable power …

—The Economist

The facility will be powered by a micro-grid with on-site solar panels, battery storage, auxiliary power and small vertical wind turbines …

—Delta County (Colorado) Independent

After the disaster knocked out power to much of eastern Japan, smart microgrid projects from industrial to residential changed their approach.

—Tam Harbert

Examples of microgrid in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Remote microgrids are predominantly utilized in rural areas where access to grid power is either unavailable or limited. —Ilya Likhov, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025

Intel Labs is incorporating a 10-kilowatt solar array and electric vehicle charging stations into a microgrid at its New Mexico Energy Systems Research Center, in Rio Rancho, and the enterprise software firm SAP is doing much the same in Palo Alto, Calif. —IEEE Spectrum, 25 Jan. 2011

Billions of dollars are being funneled into the emerging sector, which includes tech like gas turbines, fuel cells and solar microgrids. —Katie Fehrenbacher, Axios, 12 Feb. 2025

Distributing solar lanterns, clean cookstoves, and low-energy microgrids to poor villagers might make those handing them out feel good. —Ted Nordhaus, Foreign Affairs, 30 Aug. 2016

Word History

Etymology

micro- + grid

First Known Use

1939, in the meaning defined above