37% of New US Home Solar Systems Now Include Batteries

Rooftop solar is getting a powerful upgrade across America, and it's happening faster than experts predicted.

More than one-third of new residential solar installations in 2025 included battery storage, up from just one-quarter the year before. That means 37% of homeowners going solar are now choosing to store their power instead of just sending it back to the grid.

The surge represents a fundamental shift in how Americans think about home energy. Batteries are moving from luxury add-on to standard equipment, giving families backup power during outages and more control over their electricity costs.

California leads the charge with an impressive 74% of new solar systems including batteries, up from 58% in 2024. Hawaii holds similar numbers as the state with the highest adoption rate nationwide.

But the real story is happening everywhere else. Across all states outside California, battery attachment rates more than doubled in just one year, jumping from 7% to 17%. Arizona and Texas saw particularly dramatic increases.

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory tracked this data across 5.3 million solar installations, covering an estimated 93% of the U.S. residential solar market through 2025. The numbers reveal a trend that's picking up steam nationwide.

Several factors are driving the change. More states are adjusting their net metering policies, which previously paid homeowners top dollar for excess solar power sent to the grid. Time-of-use electricity rates also make storing daytime solar energy for evening use increasingly valuable.

The batteries themselves are getting better too. While storage capacity held steady at 13.5 kWh, the power these systems can deliver jumped from 6 kW to 11.4 kW in one year. That's largely thanks to improved models like the Tesla Powerwall 3, which can power more home appliances simultaneously during an outage.

Even commercial buildings are joining the trend, though more slowly. Battery attachment rates for non-residential solar doubled from 4% to 8% outside California.

The Ripple Effect

This shift means more American families can keep their lights on during storms and power outages without relying on fossil fuel generators. It also helps stabilize the electrical grid by reducing peak demand when everyone comes home and turns on their air conditioning.

Communities building this distributed energy storage network are creating resilience from the ground up. Each home battery is a small power station that can help balance electricity supply and demand, making the entire system more reliable for everyone.

The trend also accelerates the transition away from fossil fuels by making renewable energy more practical around the clock, not just when the sun shines.

One thing is clear: solar-plus-storage is rapidly becoming the new normal for American homes going green.