Every solar plant needs somewhere to send the power it makes. How it connects to the utility grid decides what it costs, how much you save and whether you have power during an outage. There are three options.
On-grid (grid-tied)
The plant is connected to the utility grid through a bidirectional meter. During the day your panels power your load first; any surplus is exported. At night, or when you need more, you import from the grid. With net metering, exported units are set off against imported units, so the grid works like a free virtual battery.
- Lowest cost per unit — no batteries to buy or replace.
- Best savings for homes and businesses with a reliable grid connection.
- Limitation: for safety, an on-grid inverter shuts down during a grid outage.
Off-grid (standalone)
An off-grid plant is not connected to the utility at all. A battery bank stores daytime energy for the night, and a backup generator often covers long cloudy spells. Batteries usually need replacing every 5–10 years, which raises the lifetime cost.
- Works anywhere — remote homes, farms, telecom towers.
- Full independence from the utility.
- Limitation: highest cost per unit because of storage.
Hybrid
A hybrid plant is grid-connected and has a battery. Panels power your load, top up the battery and export any surplus. When the grid fails, the battery keeps critical loads running.
- Backup during power cuts without giving up net metering.
- Use stored solar in the evening.
- Limitation: costs more than on-grid because of the battery.
How to choose
If your grid is reliable, on-grid gives the fastest payback. If you face frequent outages, hybrid adds backup for the loads that matter. Off-grid makes sense only where the grid does not reach. Our engineers can survey your site and recommend the right configuration.