On-Grid, Off-Grid or Hybrid: which solar system suits you?

Every rooftop solar system turns sunlight into electricity with the same basic parts: modules on a mounting structure, cabling and protection, and an inverter that converts the panels' direct current into the alternating current your building uses. What changes between system types is how that system relates to the utility grid and whether it stores energy in batteries.

On-Grid: connected, no battery

An on-grid system feeds an inverter connected to both your building's supply and the utility grid. Solar electricity is used on site first, and the grid supplies whatever the panels don't cover. Where net metering applies, surplus generation can be exported to the grid.

A standard grid-connected inverter switches off during a power cut for safety, so an on-grid system does not give you backup on its own.

On-grid systems often suit homes and businesses with a dependable grid supply that mainly want to reduce how much electricity they draw from it.

Off-Grid: independent, with storage

An off-grid system is designed to run without a grid connection. The panels charge a battery bank, and the batteries supply your loads when the sun isn't available. Because everything depends on what you generate and store, sizing matters: the panels, batteries and inverter are matched to the loads you need to run.

Off-grid systems often suit locations where a grid connection isn't available or isn't dependable.

Hybrid: grid plus battery

A hybrid system combines a grid connection with battery storage, managed by a hybrid inverter. Solar can power your loads, charge the battery or work alongside the grid. During an outage, the battery can keep selected circuits running — exactly which ones depends on how the system is designed.

Questions that help you decide

• How reliable is the grid supply at your site, and how often do you face power cuts?
• Which appliances or circuits must keep running during an outage?
• When do you use most of your electricity — during the day or after dark?
• How much shade-free roof or ground area do you have?
• Is net metering available for your connection?

There is no single right answer. A site audit looks at your roof, your consumption and your goals, and that is what the recommendation should come from. That's why every system we design is customised to the site rather than taken from a template.