The study investigates a bottom-up concept for microgrids. Financial analysis is performed through a business
model approach to test for viability when replacing a researched energy expenditure baseline in Bangladesh. A
literature review compares the approach to current trends in microgrids. A case study of Bangladesh illustrates the
potential for building on the existing infrastructure base of solar home systems. Opportunities are identified to improve
access to reliable energy through a microgrid approach that aims at community-driven economic and infrastructure
development by building on network effects generated through the inclusion of localized economies with strong
producer-consumer linkages embedded within larger systems of trade and exchange. The analysed approach
involves the linking together of individual stand-alone energy systems to form a microgrid that can eventually
interconnect with present legacy infrastructure consisting of national or regional grids. The approach is likened to
the concept of swarm intelligence, where each individual node brings independent input to create a conglomerate of
value greater than the sum of its parts
