Power Source for Your Small Cabin
Main Choice: ON- or OFF- Grid
The power for your small cabin and getaway property can come either from a local power utility company or from other off-grid alternative power sources.
If you have an option of using local power utility company and decide to use their service, you can skip this page – your small cabin power source is determined.If your property does not have electricity service or you decide not to use it (like me) – you may want to consider having some sort of power supply from alternative sources. A renewable energy system could be composed of many parts. First, there should be a solar panes module, a wind turbine, a micro-hydro turbine or (though it can't be called renewable) a fossil-fuelled generator. With this energy harvesting methods the system can then produce electricity. Often, it's a combination of methods that creates a hybrid renewable energy system for your small cabin.
Although I need to mention that I do not live at my small cabin all the time - it is an occasional use property. I use it quite often during warm part of the year on weekends and vacations, sometimes for several days in a row.Generally, off-grid power can come form one or more of the following sources:
Also I do not use large power draining appliances like air conditioning, refrigerators, large TVs, electrical stoves, etc.
- Power generator (gasoline)
- Propane
- Solar
- Wind
- Water/Hydro
Gasoline Power Generator
I discarded power generator option right away – it is noisy, costly to buy (up to $1000 and more), expensive to use (gasoline), and you often run out of fuel when not expected. Not to mention it is not environmentally friendly.
Tip:
Although you may consider using it (renting) during cabin construction for powering power tools, etc.
Propane
This is a reasonably good alternative power source for heating your cabin. However it will not provide you with electrical power (unless you have a gas-powered generator – we will not go there).
I use my old propane BBQ with side burner for meal preparation/cooking.
Wind Power
Wind power, although fairly abundant in some areas, could be quite expensive to setup - a basic wind turbine costs around $1000+. Also, if your property is located in the wooded area (like mine) you will need to place wind turbine on a high tower for it to perform as expected. Not to mentioned there could be long days without reasonably strong wind.
Nevertheless, it could be a good addition to then power supply system of your cabin property.
Water / Hydro
This is fairly attractive option, provided you have a steady stream of water.
Although I have a river at the edge of my property, the water flow there is too slow to generate power.
Consider a simple water turbine or mill wheel it of you have a river or small creek/stream on your property with good and steady water flow.
A word of caution:Having water as power source for your cabin could also be used in combination with other options.
Carefully consider design of your water turbine setup - if you intend to build a small dumb in the area of fairly significant environmental value to the surrounding ecosystem, you likely to have problems with local environmental authorities.
So if you decide to use waterpower, proceed with not-invasive option, without environmental impact.
I did not use it source so I cannot comment more. Perhaps some readers can share their experiences.
Solar Power Setup of my Small Cabin
In my view, solar power by far is the best power source option for occasional use small cabin.
A solar panel combined with charge controller, battery and optional inverter could be inexpensive, reliable, and maintenance free solution. Just set it up and don't worry.
I have set up a modest solar power system and quite happy with it. It served me quite well all this time and I do not regret about this choice.Most importantly, I don’t have another utility bill to pay every month.
Solar Power Limits:
Beside the obvious requirement for direct sunlight, the disadvantage of a small solar power setup is that it will not power high power consuming equipment and appliances like fridge, stove, air conditioner or a large TV.
This is unless you put a real money into it and build high output system, with many solar panels and battery packs, powerful invertors, etc. There are households that live year around exclusively on solar power, but since I use my small cabin property occasionally, I'd rather reduce my power consumption and simplify may staying there.
Tip:Cabin Solar Power Setup:
Keep in mind this power consumption limitation when selecting power tools, appliances and other equipment.
If possible, choose 12V tools - there are many of them available, designed for use off the car battery. You can find 12V TVs, oscilating fans, lanterns, etc.
See separate section on selecting economical power tools.
The solar panel array should be mounted so it takes full advantage of the sunlight.
In the northern hemisphere, it should face south; true south is best, but a deviation of 15 degrees east or west will not affect performance very much.
In most cases, the mounting is fixed at one angle - a right angle to the sun at noon, but can be adjusted according to the season.
Try to get it into an open location. I use Eliminator solar panel, charge controller, and Power Box. The Power Box has built-in car-like battery, inventor that provides 1200W of power @ 110V, and 12V output with short-circuit protection. Cost of Solar Power Setup:
The cost of my entire solar power setup is:
- $100 - 15W solar panel (includes cabling and connectors)
- $40 - 7A charge controller
- $200 (approximately, on sale) for the Eliminator Power Box which has a sealed, 60 A/h AGM battery and 1200W inverter.