Client Success Story: Lifesavers Wild Horse Rescue
Lifesavers Wild Horse Rescue is a non-profit organization headquartered in Caliente. In fall 2024, they contacted us to revamp a non-functioning off-grid solar system.
That summer, the area experienced a few wildfires, during which SoCal Edison (SCE) turned off electricity for days. The outages posed challenges for the organization because it needed power to operate well pumps for the livestock, highlighting the need for true energy resiliency. Additionally, they were receiving eye-watering bills from SCE, prompting them to explore repairing the solar system.
The situation
The off-grid system powers the sanctuary manager’s residence, office, and well pump. The circuit was wired to run on off-grid solar or charge the batteries with grid power when depleted (i.e., when power consumption exceeds production).
The existing system has ten solar panels, two OutBack inverters, an OutBack solar charge controller (SCC), and 36 lead-acid batteries. The sanctuary manager reported that the solar panels were functional before the system ceased working, so we assumed they worked because we could not test them without functioning equipment.
The OutBack inverter components were crusted in dirt, and the fan in one no longer worked. The equipment’s deteriorated state might create fire hazards. Meanwhile, the previous solar technician (who shall not be named…) installed the inverters in an orientation that makes them prone to rodent damage.
The lead-acid batteries were in very bad shape. They leaked, and one burst when the sanctuary manager followed advice from the last solar guy to “clean the batteries.” Not only are they non-functional, but they’re also hazardous wastes that could cause health issues for humans and animals alike.
Like many non-profit organizations, Lifesavers has competing priorities and needs to tackle the upgrade in a phased approach. For the first phase, they wanted to revamp the system to alleviate the power bill while building resiliency against the increasingly frequent and lengthy power outages.
The solution
Phase one focused on reusing as much existing equipment as possible to lower costs while restoring the off-grid solar system’s basic functionality so that we can gather data (e.g., solar production and usage pattern) and identify the best upgrade pathway. We must also remove the hazardous lead-acid batteries and replace them with a safe, maintenance-free option.
We left the current solar panel setup as-is. While we (correctly) predicted the client would need more panels to run everything on solar, we recommended spending the budget on getting the system up and running so that we can test the production capacity and measure the usage requirements before deciding how many panels to add.
Although in poor condition, the inverters are valuable equipment worth ~$5,000 each. Instead of throwing them out, we refurbished them with a thorough cleaning and examination to verify they have no safety or functionality issues. We also replaced the broken fans with datacenter-grade ones and added rodent protection to prevent damage.
The project's focus was replacing the old lead-acid batteries. First, we removed and transported the toxic wastes for safe disposal. Then, we custom-built an intrinsically safe, high-endurance lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery pack with 7.86 kWh capacity.
The battery pack also includes a robust battery management system (BMS) that will allow us to collect data, monitor performance, and adjust battery behaviors to meet shifting requirements. The BMS also rebalances the cells automatically and continuously to optimize performance.
The implementation work went smoothly. After the initial setup, we returned a couple of times to check the system and adjusted the configurations to ensure safe and seamless operations.
While reviewing the data, we uncovered a substantial, mystery “phantom drain” that could have led to the eye-watering SCE bills. We provided recommendations to address the “phantom drain,” so the client can lower their power bill or save money when adding capacity in the future.
We also included a system evaluation and upgrade pathway suggestion in the project:
We performed a health check of the existing solar panels to verify their capacity. We collected and analyzed system performance to generate insights and provide recommendations on maximizing future investment. Additionally, we calculated the solar trajectory specific to the site to show how to expand and position the solar field for maximum yield.
A future-proof solar system
The underlying principles that drive the project shifted the system from a “frozen in time” relic from the early 2000s into an expandable, modular, modern system that can grow with client needs through phased implementation.
The client can now easily add solar panels and battery capacity without overhauling the system. While the older equipment may still have some constraints, we helped the client get as much out of it as possible, bringing them closer to the next step in expanding their power production and storage capacity while achieving energy independence.
