Running new wiring for window shades was never on my to-do list. Cutting into the living room drywall and patching it up just for some smart blinds felt like way too much work, and paying an electrician for a small job is expensive. I ended up getting the battery-powered SmartWings models to avoid the hassle entirely.
Knowing my own habits, I bought the solar panels too. Getting a step stool out to plug them into a wall charger a few times a year is not a huge deal, but I prefer a completely hands-off setup. Mounting them was straightforward. You just wipe down the glass and stick the panel in the corner of the window.
My living room windows get a few hours of direct sun in the afternoon. That seems to be plenty to keep the motors running. The battery indicator in the app usually stays near maximum. We had a long stretch of heavy rain last month and the charge dropped a few percentage points, but it caught right back up once the weather cleared. It is a very practical workaround ifyou want automated shades without tearing your walls apart.