Microgrid

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A decentralized energy network that can independently generate and manage power, or connect to a larger utility grid for enhanced reliability
2. A compact energy system designed to produce, store, and distribute electricity locally, while also having the capacity to interact with the broader power grid
3. A self-contained electricity network that operates independently or in coordination with the main power grid to supply local energy

Etymology: "Microgrid" is a plain compound: "micro-", from Greek "mikros" meaning "small", joined to "grid", a word with its own history in English. The result names a small, self-contained power network, a neighbourhood or campus or military base that can generate and store its own electricity and draw on the main grid when it needs to. The part that makes the term distinctive is its second element. A "grid" originally meant a grating or lattice, and the electrical sense comes from the regular network of wires and lines that spread across a region. "Micro-" then shrinks that network to a local scale. The word therefore describes a grid in miniature rather than a new kind of energy source, which is why the definition stresses both independence and connection to the wider system.

Synonyms: small grid, localized grid