Question 1

What is battery backup?

Accepted Answer

Battery Backup are batteries that store electricity from solar panels for when the panels can’t generate power. Battery Backup is most suited for remote location properties that aren’t able to connect to the BC Hydro grid and for rural locations where BC Hydro often has power outages. If you are connect to the BC Hydro grid and your power doesn’t go out much then “grid tie” is the best solution and avoids the cost of buying and installing batteries.

Question 2

What is "Net Metering"

Accepted Answer

“Net metering” is the program and agreement with the utility (BC Hydro) that keeps track of how much electricity a solar array puts back into the grid. Excess solar power fed back to the grid is measured by the smart meter and you are then given energy credits against the energy you use from BC Hydro. This is calculated each billing period and you pay the net. If your solar array produces more than the household electricity used in a year, BC Hydro will buy that electricity from the homeowner at a fixed rate.

http://bchydro.com/netmetering