But once you build a micro-grid, you are committed to what you have built.

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How costs and benefits are apportioned is important, but equally important are the necessary protocols for communication and coordination between micro-grid and grid.

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For communities that may not be able to commit resources to a full micro-grid, or may take years to set one up, this type of resource is worth considering.

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Xtreme, which has attracted backing from venture capital firms and corporate investors like Dow Chemical, Fluor and BP Alternative Energy, is developing large-scale digital power systems for renewable energy and micro-grid applications.

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During his deployment he organized and led efforts for a 1-mega watt micro grid project the Army installed in Bagram.

WHITEHOUSE: Champions of Secure Energy

Through an innovative regulatory process set up by the government and the regulator, the main barriers to the deployment of micro-power, such as grid access, are being addressed, and Britain is one of the first countries to have a clear, non-discriminatory access regulation for micro-generators that is supported by the regulator.

ECONOMIST: Private space

The team started with a commercially available "micro-lens array" - a grid of tiny lenses just 50 millionths of a metre across.

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