A variant of the turbine design used in automotive turbochargers, microturbine generators are small-scale energy generating devices used both as low-cost alternatives to battery back-up, and in some areas as cost-effective alternatives to grid-supplied energy. Microturbines might be small enough to fit in a hiker's backpack and drop into a nearby stream to recharge a flashlight or notebook computer, or large enough to fill a room and supply a whole village with electricity.

Micro-generation is occasionally spelled without the hyphen, but is seldom used as a single word in this context.

See also: