The study investigates a bottom-up concept for microgrids. A financial analysis is performed through a business model approach to test for viability when replacing a researched energy expenditure baseline in Bangladesh. 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. Network effects are generated through the inclusion of localized economies with strong producer-consumer linkages embedded within larger systems of trade and exchange. The analyzed approach involves the linkage of individual stand-alone energy systems to form a microgrid that can eventually interconnect with national or regional grids. The approach is linked 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.