1.4 Grid-tied vs off-grid vs hybrid — which one fits

Grid-tied: Daytime production feeds straight to the grid, evening power comes back from the grid, no battery in the loop. Simple, cheap, and still dominant in states that haven't moved to NEM 3.0-style billing. In NEM 3.0 California it is effectively obsolete — export credit is only 1/4 to 1/8 of retail, so you need a battery to keep daytime production for evening use.
Off-grid: Fully independent. Battery has to be massively oversized, the total cost is high. Fits remote mountain properties or ADUs the grid doesn't reach. You still need to pull permits and pass inspection.
Hybrid (Solar + Battery) — under NEM 3.0, the only option for almost every household. Daytime production powers the home first, surplus charges the battery, and only after the battery is full does anything export to the grid. The home runs on the battery in the evening.

1.3 Essential glossary (so the sales pitch doesn't lose you)

1.5 Microinverter vs hybrid inverter (which fits your roof)

Next Step

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