Solar buyback rates are leaving me hosed in TX

I had solar panels installed in October of 2022; I was told that basically, using net metering, I'd be reducing my electricity bill to almost nothing because I'd produce in the daytime more than I needed, and that would cover what I used at night.

I thought I did all the research, but I didn't realize that the buyback "market rate" would be a fraction of the selling rate. I misunderstood that to mean that the buy rate would match the sell rate.

Now I'm basically paying for the solar panels (I financed them due to super low interest rates) AND paying an electricity bill that's comparable to what I had before panels.

If I got myself onto a "free nights" plan, would it save me money?

In theory, I'm using free energy at night, and during the day, I'm producing my own energy via panels. Is this correct in how it would work, or am I wrong about some part of the process?