Solar panels are usually seen as machines built to capture sunlight and produce clean energy. But to birds, they can look like something else entirely — elevated perches, sheltered spaces and even potential places to find food.
Scientists at Argonne National Laboratory have spent years using artificial intelligence-powered cameras to find out exactly how birds interact with solar installations. After recording more than 19,000 hours of daytime footage across five solar facilities, researchers have begun building one of the most detailed pictures yet of what birds actually do around photovoltaic panels.
