Client Success Story: Small Cabin, Big Plans

Many people who buy properties in Caliente have big plans: Start a ranch, build a house, add a workshop or stable… But things don’t happen all at once. Sometimes, even getting the basics sorted can be a challenge. 

One of our clients owns a property with an unfinished house. It isn’t on the grid and has an ailing solar installation that produces barely enough power for a few small items like a phone charger and Starlink. The fridge runs sporadically, but the batteries can’t store enough electricity to keep it on at night.

This client built a small cabin as his living quarters while he works on the house. Instead of reviving the old solar system, which is too far from the cabin (i.e., the long cabling will be costly, and the power degradation will be too much), we designed and implemented a standalone solar solution for the cabin.

The system isn’t fancy, but the low cost and simple setup means this client had it up and running quickly to meet basic needs.

[ right ] Everything in the system (except the solar panels), including the battery pack, inverter, SCC, and breakers, are wall-mounted on a 20" x30" space.

So, what exactly can you get for a mid-4-figure solar solution?

The system consists of six utility-grade refurbished solar panels, a medium range, 3000W 120V inverter, a 25.5V, 2kWh lithium battery, a high-quality solar charge controller (SCC) with Bluetooth app, and fuses and circuit breakers to ensure safety.

The capacity will allow this client to run a mini-split air conditioner or a 5000BTU window unit during the day. It can also support Starlink, a small, efficient fridge, LED lights, a laptop and phone charger, and an efficient small chest freezer 24/7.

The modular and expandable system means the client can easily add more solar panels to increase power production, upgrade inverter capacity to run more appliances, or wire up another battery to meet nighttime power usage needs — without overhauling the system or experiencing extended downtime.

Moreover, we built all our solutions as an appliance (i.e., they plug into an outlet and not hardwired into a structure’s electric circuit). The client can unplug the setup from the cabin and move it anytime (e.g., to the main house when it’s complete) without much fuss.

Building a ranch is an organic process, and it isn’t realistic to make all the decisions and get them right from the start (or, for most people, pay for everything in one go). Our off-grid solar solutions can fit smaller budgets and grow with you to accommodate big dreams. Get in touch to see how we can help.