Hybrid solar systems generate power in the same way as a common grid-tie solar system but use batteries to store energy for later use. This ability to store energy enables most hybrid systems to also operate as a backup power supply during a blackout, similar to a UPS system.

Traditionally the term hybrid referred to two generation sources such as wind and solar but more recently the term ‘hybrid solar’ refers to a combination of solar and battery storage which unlike off-grid systems is connected to the electricity grid.