We have a similar power concept in CA, a large percentage of homes have solar panels and if the power goes out, the panels are useless. The idea is that your solar panels send power to the grid during the day, but your home is powered by the grid 24/7.

We are considering installing an off-grid system that would not share any wires with the grid -- batteries and a separate wall outlet. The entire expense would be ours, but the system would continue to power essential items during a neighborhood/area power outage. Thinking...