Dictionary

microgeneration en · NOUN

Etymology

From micro- + generation.

Meanings

1. (uncountable) The generation of zero-carbon or low-carbon heat and power by individuals, small businesses and communities to meet their own needs.
   • 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. 2008 June 2, John Vidal, quoting Malcolm Wicks, “Microgeneration could rival nuclear power, report shows”, in The Guardian:
2. (countable) A demographic or cohort similar to a generation but covering a shorter timespan.
   • Her [Madeline Cash's] debut novel taps into a microgeneration’s blurring of performance and reality. 2026 June 13, Mikkel Rosengaard, “Madeline Cash Isn’t Playing Around. Or Is She?”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
   • The elderly are market segments, by generations or microgenerations within age cohorts or by historical experience as personality types. 2002, Merry White, Perfectly Japanese: Making Families in an Era of Upheaval, page 169:

Forms