What Is a Hybrid Solar System?

Solar systems can be designed to operate on or off the grid. Going hybrid can offer the best of both.

Combining solar panels with storage could unlock more benefits.

Going solar is typically about cashing in on the free energy the sun offers to sell it to the local utility, and having a backup source of power when the grid goes down. But you may not be aware that the typical solar energy system is designed for just one purpose or the other.

"You cannot always use your solar modules if the power goes out," explained New York Solar Energy Society founder Wyldon Fishman.

To get both the utility savings and the peace of mind that comes from connecting your system to a backup battery, you're also going to have to go hybrid.

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A hybrid solar system empowers a homeowner to choose where the energy they generate is directed: either to the grid where the local utility might pay for those electrons, or into a home battery system. In essence a hybrid solar system allows you to choose when you are on or off the grid.

Hybrid systems typically combine solar panels with both a grid-tied interface and the series of controllers, batteries and inverters found in off-grid systems.

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If you have solar panels on your roof without batteries and you take advantage of net metering with your local utility, it's possible that the only time you ever think about your solar system is when you see the solar credit on your utility bill.

A hybrid system is a little bit more complicated than a standard grid-tied system. It needs to keep track of and control not just the electricity flowing between your panels and the grid, but also the charge of your solar batteries and the flow of energy to them.

A hybrid solar system will typically have one or more controllers that allow you to send the excess solar energy coming from your panels either to your battery storage or to the grid. It's also possible to set your system to charge your battery first, and send power to the grid only when it's full.

Using the energy from your battery might also require additional components like a charger for your electric vehicle, if you have one, and an inverter to convert the direct current in the battery to household alternating current. This is all in addition to the grid tie-in hardware most systems have. It is also possible to forgo the grid connection entirely and have a completely off-grid panel and battery system.

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A hybrid system brings two different approaches to solar together with numerous benefits and a few downsides to consider.

If you're only interested in solar for the savings that comes from feeding into the grid, or you don't have the option to tie into the grid at all, then a hybrid system probably isn't worth considering.

According to Corey Ramsden, the vice president for Go Solar programs at Solar United Neighbors, going hybrid is often driven by a desire for a different form of backup power rather than a generator.

"It is very much a question of how much is it worth to you when the power goes out? How often does it go out? What are you risking by having no power? Critical medical equipment for example. It's a very specific question to each homeowner."