Why "off-grid" doesn't just mean "no utility bill" — and why the most common home solar setup goes completely dark in an outage.
These three terms describe how a solar system relates to the utility grid — not how big it is, how many panels it has, or how "green" it is. That single relationship — connected or not, and if connected, whether it can safely disconnect — is what determines whether a home full of working solar panels keeps the lights on during a power outage, or goes completely dark despite the sun being out.