<WRAP = 760><FONTNAME = arial16.dds><FONTSIZE = 16><COLOR = 255,255,255,255>Wind and Solar are the two most popular forms of 'micro-generaion' power in common use. Micro-generation refers to running very small power stations, including turning each home into a miniature power station by the sue of roof mounted solar panels and small scale wind turbines. One of the major arguments in favor of micro-generation is to reduce the amount of energy that gets lost along transmission lines from the power plant to the home, which is estimated to be 8% in the UK. It also allows the waste heat from generators to be used to power the homes, which is known as 'combined heat and power'.
Understandably, there is resistance to micro-generation by some big power companies, who are set to lose out if their customers start generating their own power. To combat this, some countries (including the USA, UK and Germany) have laws that force electricity companies to agree to buy surplus generated power from homes that use micro-generation.
In October 2006, there were approx 80,000 micro-generation installations in the UK, the majority of these were solar-water heating units installed before 2000.
In the UK, microgeneration has become a trend amongst politicians. The Conservative party leader David Cameron very publicly installed a wind turbine on the roof of his house, and the Labour parties deputy Prime Minister at the time (John Prescott)  was the target of a publicity stunt by environmental groups who attempted to install solar panels on the roof of his house as part of a 'protest-installation'.

