It summarizes the current state of the microgrid industry and its standardization landscape, outlines emerging trends that will shape the industry, and identifies the challenges that are impeding microgrid deployment. Microgrids: The evolution of electrical infrastructure. This report provides an overview of the microgrid industry in North America, synthesizing information from current. It is able to operate in grid-connected and off-grid modes. Very small microgrids are sometimes called nanogrids. While it may seem that microgrids are new, they have been around in some form for years, going back to Thomas Edison's Pearl Street Station. Here's a brief look at the history of microgrids in the US. The grid of that era delivered power from rural areas, where power was generated, to cities, where.