A microgrid is a local energy network that can generate, store and share its own electricity, powering homes, schools, hospitals, businesses and even entire communities using clean, renewable energy.
But who says YOUR microgrid has to be ordinary?
While it could be for your neighbourhood, it could also be for say a zoo or a multi-sport complex, or how about an industrial zone with an airport and leisure complex, a mountain village or an island, or even a colony on Mars!
The choice is yours.
Your challenge is to design a map showing how your very own microgrid would work. You’ll need to think like an engineer, inventor and problem-solver as you decide where the power comes from, how it gets around, where it is stored and how everything stays connected.
Your Mission
1) Choose a place for your microgrid. It can be real – your road, local park, school… or completely imaginary – a theme park on the moon!
2) Draw a map or diagram of your location. Include any buildings like homes, shops and businesses, as well as facilities that you might need like a school, hospital, train station, cinema, and anything else that needs electricity.
3) Donβt forget to include any natural or man-made features that might affect your microgrid design, such as rivers, hills, parks, roads, railways, forests, beaches or lakes.
4) Decide how you will generate your electricity and show on your map where this will happen. These could include some or all of the following:
- Solar panels
- Wind turbines
- Hydroelectric
- Kinetic energy from people moving
- Biofuels
5) Think about how you might want to store electricity and where you would you them:
- Giant batteries
- Electric vehicle charging areas
6) Show how electricity travels around your microgrid. Draw any:
- Power lines
- Cables
- Distribution systems
- Connections to the wider grid or other microgrids
7) Make your grid smart! Add things such as:
- Smart meters
- Sensors
- Automated systems that help balance supply and demand
- Technology that helps the grid recover from problems automatically
8) Think about safety and security. How will your microgrid stay reliable and protected?
9) Use arrows to show how electricity moves from where it is generated to where it is stored, and onto to the places where it is used.
10) Label everything clearly or include a map key.
Most importantly, let your imagination run wild.
The future energy system will need creative thinkers and brilliant problem-solvers. This is your chance to show us what the microgrid of tomorrow could look like.
Good luck, micro-gridders! We can’t wait to see your ideas!
Win an awesome Renewable Energy Science Kit worth Β£200! Build a solar-powered car, create a mini windmill, light up a model house and discover how the power of the sun and wind can generate electricity. Packed with hands-on experiments and cool challenges. Are you a curious young scientist who wants to explore the future of energy? Enter now!
Competition closes midday on 6th September, 2026.
Remember to always ask a parent or guardian before filling in forms.
Marina Ventura⦠and the Micro-Gridders.
Made with support from Grid for Good by the National Grid.
