It is still early days but as bitcoin bypasses traditional banking and financial institutions, it is a currency off the grid just as System D.

FORBES: Could Bitcoin Become the Currency of System D?

We also covered several off-grid devices that we'd like to have in the event of another storm of Sandy's magnitude -- Nokero's compact SunRay Pro solar charger, Berkey's super-versatile and effective water filter and Eton's hand-crank cellphone charger.

ENGADGET: Inhabitat's Week in Green: Dyson Spheres, bladeless wind turbines and airless bike tires

"If you think about the TV listing grid as a 2D experience, what we're moving to is a 3-D experience, " Ms. Tanner said.

WSJ: Apps Coming That Recommend TV Shows

The gasoline engine serves as an on-board personal electric utility for when you forget to plug in to the local grid, or for ensuring a total range to match that of any conventional car you'd buy today.

FORBES: The Automobile Shifts Gears

Most utilities maintain that they will be unable to deal with local, renewable energy that provides more than 15 percent of the power supply because any more would destabilize the grid, according to Shalom Flank, the chief technology officer of Pareto Energy, a Washington, D.

FORBES: D.C. Park Reveals the Gap Between Microgrid Promise and Reality