On-Grid, Off-Grid or Hybrid Solar: Which System Should You Recommend?

On-grid, off-grid, hybrid — customers hear the terms but rarely understand the trade-offs. Recommending the right architecture is where a trusted installer earns the sale. Here’s a clear way to think about it.

On-grid (grid-tied)

Connected to the utility with net metering and no batteries. It’s the most cost-effective and efficient option: surplus production is exported for credit, and the grid covers the rest. The catch — it shuts down during a grid outage unless paired with backup.

Off-grid

Fully independent, with batteries sized to carry the load through nights and cloudy days. Right for sites with no reliable grid connection, but the largest battery bank makes it the most expensive per unit of energy.

Hybrid

The best of both: grid-tied with net metering plus a battery for backup. Customers keep the savings of net metering and get power during outages. The trade-off is the added cost of storage.

A simple recommendation framework

• Reliable grid, wants maximum savings → on-grid with net metering.
• Frequent outages, wants backup → hybrid.
• No grid access → off-grid.
• Always size to real usage first, then choose the architecture.

Whichever you recommend, model the savings on the customer’s actual tariff so the proposal holds up. SolarStack sizes the system to real usage and shows honest net-metering ROI for on-grid and hybrid designs.