microgeneration

English

Alternative forms

• micro-generation

Etymology

From micro- +‎ generation.

Noun

microgeneration (countable and uncountable, plural microgenerations)

1. (uncountable) The generation of zero-carbon or low-carbon heat and power by individuals, small businesses and communities to meet their own needs.
   • 2008 June 2, John Vidal, quoting Malcolm Wicks, “Microgeneration could rival nuclear power, report shows”, in Alan Rusbridger, editor, The Guardian‎^[1], London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC:

     Microgeneration has the potential to make a significant contribution to overall energy use in the UK and, combined with energy efficiency measures, will help towards reducing our carbon emissions. The concerned individual can take an active role in the battle against climate change.

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2. (countable, demography) A demographic or cohort similar to a generation but covering a shorter timespan.
   • 2002, Merry White, Perfectly Japanese: Making Families in an Era of Upheaval, page 169:

     The elderly are market segments, by generations or microgenerations within age cohorts or by historical experience as personality types.

   • 2026 June 13, Mikkel Rosengaard, “Madeline Cash Isn’t Playing Around. Or Is She?”, in The New York Times‎^[2], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC:

     Her [Madeline Cash's] debut novel taps into a microgeneration’s blurring of performance and reality.

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