Choosing a system
On-grid, hybrid or off-grid - which one is right for you?
The right answer depends on why you want solar in the first place: cutting your bill, keeping the lights on during a power cut, or running a site that has no grid connection at all. Here's how the three approaches actually compare.
| On-grid | Hybrid | Off-grid | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How it connects | Tied to the utility grid, no battery | Grid + solar + battery, working together | No grid connection - solar and battery only |
| Backup during a power cut | None - shuts down for safety (anti-islanding) | Selected circuits stay on, if designed in | The system is the supply - no separate "backup" mode |
| Battery required | No | Yes - sized to the backup load and hours you choose | Yes - sized to your entire daily load, not just backup |
| PM Surya Ghar subsidy | Typically eligible for residential rooftop | Often still eligible - confirm current rules for your case | Generally not eligible - the scheme is built around grid-tied systems |
| Relative cost | Lowest, for the same panel capacity | Higher - hybrid inverter and battery add cost | Highest - battery and array must cover the whole load |
| Best suited for | Cutting your electricity bill where outages aren't a major concern | Homes and businesses with a grid connection that want backup for essential loads | Sites with no grid access at all - genuinely uncommon for a home in UP |
Subsidy eligibility, rates and rules change and depend on your consumer category - always confirm the current official position before making a financial decision.
On-grid solar
Connected directly to the utility grid. No battery, lowest cost per kW, and generally the fastest payback - the default choice when bill reduction is the main goal and grid supply is reasonably reliable.
Hybrid solar
Grid, solar and battery working together. A backup distribution board keeps chosen essential circuits running through an outage, while everything else stays on the normal supply - the middle ground most homes with frequent cuts actually need.
Off-grid solar
No utility connection at all. Solar and battery must be sized to cover 100% of your load year-round, not just backup hours, which is why off-grid costs more and needs careful load and storage sizing - worth it where there genuinely is no grid, rare otherwise.