So far in 2025, 40% of new residential solar installations were paired with storage, as changes to incentive programs and net metering structures have encouraged customers to use batteries to more optimally manage their PV system's generation. There are now 262 gigawatts direct-current of solar capacity installed nationwide, enough to power 45 million homes. In the last decade, solar deployments have experienced an average annual growth rate of 28%. Strong federal policies like the solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC), rapidly declining. The total proportion of home solar installations that include extra services has regressed since 2023, indicating that homeowners could be less willing to spend money on add-on items like energy storage, oversized solar systems, and additional solar on existing installations. Solar ESS allows users to store excess energy generated during daylight hours for later use, effectively balancing energy. To support ecologically responsible solar deployment, Argonne National Laboratory developed a camera powered by artificial intelligence to see how birds interact with solar panels.