For those of you who have a cabin (or a house) in the mountains what do you use for electricity? I have been looking for land in the west and it seems that alot of land in the mountains isn't close to power lines. The other choices are solar or a generator.

I am trying to find out the pros and cons for both. I realize that propane will run many things such as a refrigerator, stove, heater, and hot water, but electricity is still needed for some things. Oh, this cabin wouldn't be used year round,just severalweeks in the spring, summer, and of course fall. I would like to be able to power all the convieniences of home such as lights, tv, outlets, and possibly a laptop computer. It sounds like propane is the way to go for hot water, a stove,heat, and maybe a refrigerator. Cost does factor in to the decision as well.

Thanks for your input . . . Rob

Heck, I would forget about getting electricity set up at all. Who needs TV, and a computer in the woods? I would go propane, and hook up the water heater, fridge, stove, and propane lights. If you really need a generator, you could get a small 1000 watt one for a couple hundred to run a TV for a couple hours, or the laptop, but would rather have nature as my entertainment. Put that, with a wood stove for heat, and you have a true experience.

This would be more than a hunting camp. I would like to have the wife and kids there in the summer. The more convieniences of home = a happierwife= ahappierme! The laptop would be required for work. I need to figure out which is more cost effective, solar or a generator. Depending where I buy, I could be on the grid but would like to be self-sufficient which would expand my choices. Also, if it is set up properly and easy to "turn on", I would be able to rent it out for a few weeks to pay the taxes and some upkeep.

Does anyone know of websites which does an analysis between the two based on usuage and cost?

Thanks again . . . Rob

Here is one web site that can give you costs and opptions. http://www.mrsolar.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=MSOS&C ategory_Code=sale

My favorite information place is here.
http://www.motherearthnews.com/

I am also looking into solar versus the highcost of haveing a power line built to a farm that I am buying. Solar has many draw backs, since we are a society built on convieneince it's hard to beat being on the grid!

A generator is your least expensive route. You can charge batteries during running of the generator then switch on an invertor (12volt to 120 volt) to draw off of the batteries during the night. Many people in remote Canada and the USA do this and have lived this way for years.

Have them all. Wood, propane, generator and a small 450 watt solar panal. The solar panels will work but requires long periods of sunlight to charge the batteries, sometimes not always dependable and costly also. A 4000 watt honda generator is great for a back up and will be and can be used to charge up your battery box.There fairly quiet with todays models and are good for running power tools. You can use it to tapp into a couple ciruits in your house. !2 volt bulbs work good too as well as kerosene lamps and candles and propane lights and mantles.
I lived in the bush off the grid for 5 years in B.C. and that was my set up. Good luck, Bobby

Don't forget looking into a small wind generator. If your location is right they can be cheaper than solar.

Dan O.

They're also easy to construct , most of what you'd need is a car alternator and a golf cart battery or two to store the juice . Don't forget to include an overcharge protector .

Water! OR WIND soler is not as good.

how large is the cabin?
do you have room to store batteries?
say 6-10 marine batteries
i would go with a combo of both solar with generator for back up,
freind has just that in NY he had about 1600 sq ft house solar powered with a Gen backup
and it worked fine,
while visiting couldnt tell the power source,

The cabin isn't built yet. That's why I am asking all of the questions now, so I can make educated decisions when I decide to build. My original thoughts were similar to yours, solar and a generator. The generators today can run off a propane tank which is much better than going out and filling the tank with gas or diesal. I never thought of a wind mill. Not really sure how that would work. Still much research to do.

Oh, I am thinking of about 1,000 sq ft for the cabin.

Thanks to all who have replied . . . Rob