Skip to content
AIColorado Solarby Discovery Clean Energy

Solar for the thing you actually have

Can solar power my…?

RV, barn, well pump, cabin, hot tub, chicken coop. People search for the thing, not for “photovoltaics.” Every page below says whether solar makes sense for it in Colorado, how big, what it costs, and — plainly — whether it’s something we install or a straight guide.

RVs, vans, boats & trucks

Rooftop panels on anything that moves. We don’t install these — but here’s what actually works at altitude.
Straight guide — we don’t install on vehiclesSolar for RVs and motorhomesA 200–800 W roof array runs lights, fans, and a fridge for days of boondocking. It will not run the air conditioner. Here’s the real math.
Straight guide — not something we installSolar for camper vansA van roof holds 100–400 W. The alternator does the heavy charging; solar keeps you topped off while you’re parked at a trailhead.
Straight guide — we handle the driveway, not the trailerSolar for travel trailers and fifth wheelsA long trailer roof can carry 600–1,000 W with fewer obstacles than a motorhome. Storage and winter, not sunshine, are the hard parts.
Straight guide — not something we installSolar for boatsFor a trailered Colorado boat, a 10–50 W maintainer panel is the whole answer. Bigger arrays only make sense for trolling motors and live-aboard slips.
Guide for the truck — we can solar the commissarySolar for food trucksA truck roof makes 2–5 kWh a day; the kitchen burns 15–40. Solar on the truck is a battery helper. Solar on the commissary is a business decision.

Garages, barns, sheds & structures

Outbuildings often have the best roof on the property. Most of these we install.
We install thisSolar on a detached garageA garage roof is often the cleanest roof on the property. We put the array there, trench conduit to the house and tie into the meter you already have.
We install thisSolar on a barn or pole barnBig, unshaded metal roofs are ideal for solar. We install on standing-seam and screw-down barns, and we sort out the meter and co-op questions first.
We install shop systems; garden sheds are a kit guideSolar for a shed or workshopA real shop on a subpanel is a job we install. A garden shed with a light and a charger is a plug-and-play kit you can buy yourself. This page covers both honestly.
We install thisSolar for an ADU or guest houseAn ADU is a small house with a small roof and a real electric bill. Whether it shares your meter decides everything about how solar pays.
We install the array; small hobby setups are a guideSolar for a greenhousePanels on the glazing shade the plants. The array goes on the house, a shed or a ground mount and feeds the greenhouse through the meter. We install that; small hobby kits are a guide.
Evaluated case by case — often a ground mount is the better answerSolar carportsA canopy that shades the car and makes power is appealing, and it’s the most expensive way to mount panels. We evaluate each one honestly and often recommend a ground mount instead.
Evaluated case by case — a roof array is usually the better valueSolar pergolas and patio coversPanels as the roof of a patio cover is a nice idea that costs more than it looks. We evaluate each one honestly and usually point to the house roof first.

Cabins, tiny homes, rentals & other homes

Second homes, rentals, manufactured homes and off-grid — where grid-tied solar fits and where it doesn’t.
Grid-tied cabins yes — off-grid noSolar for Colorado mountain cabinsIf your cabin has a power line, we can put solar and a battery on it. If it doesn’t, we’ll tell you what an off-grid system really involves.
Straight guide — not something we installSolar for an off-grid home in ColoradoWe don’t build off-grid systems. This is the guide we’d want if we did: what it takes, what it costs, and when grid-tied with a battery gets you most of the way.
Foundation yes — wheels noSolar for tiny homesOn a foundation with a utility meter, a tiny home is just a small house and we install solar on it. On wheels, it’s a vehicle, and we don’t.
Owned land yes — park lots rarelySolar for mobile and manufactured homesThe roof is usually the obstacle, not the home. On owned land we install ground mounts; in a park on a rented lot, options narrow fast.
We install thisSolar for Colorado horse propertiesAcreage, a barn roof, a well pump and a co-op meter — horse property is one of the best solar fits in Colorado, and one of the best cases for a battery.
We install thisSolar for vacation and short-term rentalsYou pay the electric bill; the guests set the thermostat. Solar fixes the first half. A battery covers the outage that would otherwise cost you a refund.
We install thisSolar for second and seasonal homesEmpty in the months the panels produce most, busy when they produce least. Whether that pencils depends almost entirely on how your utility banks credits.
We install thisSolar for landlord-owned rental homesWhoever pays the electric bill is the one solar saves money for. Get that structure right and solar becomes a rent and retention feature; get it wrong and you’ve bought your tenant a gift.
We install it when you own the roofSolar for townhomes and duplexesIf you own your roof section, we can usually install. Small roofs mean 8–14 panels, and the HOA can shape the look but not block it.
Straight guide — we install panels, not solar shinglesSolar roof shingles and integrated solar roofsNot something we install. Solar roofs look clean but cost far more per watt and produce less per square foot; a new roof plus panels does the same job for less.

Wells, pools, hot tubs, AC & heat

The loads people most want solar to cover, with honest sizing.
We install it — grid-tied solar + battery for outagesSolar for well pumpsA house on a well loses water when the power goes out. We install solar plus a battery that can start a 1-hp pump; DC solar pumps for livestock are a separate thing.
We install the PV side — not solar thermal pool heatingSolar for swimming poolsWe install the PV that runs your pump and a heat-pump heater. Solar thermal pool collectors are a different trade; here’s how both compare.
We install thisSolar for hot tubsThree to six extra panels usually cover a hot tub. The heater is the cost, winter is the season, and a battery isn’t needed for it.
We install thisSolar for air conditioningAC demand and solar production peak in the same months. The catch is 5–9 pm; here’s how sizing and a battery handle it.
We install it — with honest math firstSolar for electric heatWinter is solar’s worst month and electric heat’s biggest. Net-metering carryover makes it work on Xcel; co-op true-ups and a heat pump decide the rest.
We handle the PV side — not solar thermalSolar for water heatingWe install the PV that runs a heat-pump water heater — about one to three panels. Solar thermal collectors are a plumbing trade; here’s the honest comparison.
We install the solar; the pump stays yoursSolar for irrigation and sprinkler pumpsLawn, acreage and ditch pumps pull their whole year’s power between May and September — exactly when a Colorado array is at its best. Grid-tied solar covers them cleanly; a DC pump covers the spots with no wire.
We install this (battery backup)Solar and battery backup for sump pumpsThe storm that fills the pit is the storm that knocks out the power. A home battery keeps the sump — and the freezer and the furnace blower — running; grid-tied solar alone does not.
We install this (battery backup)Solar and battery backup for refrigerators and freezersA fridge uses 1–2 kWh a day and a chest freezer about 1. One home battery covers both for the better part of a week; panels alone cover neither once the grid drops.

Small & stand-alone solar

Lights, gate openers, fence chargers, stock tanks, portable power — kits, not installs.
Straight guide — we install the permanent versionPortable solar generators and power stationsA 2 kWh power station runs a fridge for about a day. A wildfire shutoff, a well pump, or a medical device is where a permanent battery earns its price.
Straight guide — not something we installSolar outdoor and security lightingShort days, cold batteries, and snow on the panel kill most $20 solar lights by midwinter. Here’s what survives, and when hardwired on a solar home is simpler.
Straight guide — not something we installSolar gate openersA 10–40 W panel and a small battery run most ranch gates. Winter sun, cold batteries, and standby draw decide which size — and whether a trench beats it.
Straight guide — not something we installSolar for a chicken coopA tiny panel handles the door opener and a light. Winter water heaters need far more than it gives. A straight guide; we don’t sell coop kits.
Straight guide — not something we installSolar attic fans in ColoradoA small self-powered fan that moves hot air out of the attic on sunny afternoons. Useful in the right attic, no substitute for insulation, and not something we install.
Straight guide — not something we installSolar electric fence chargers for Colorado ranches and horse propertiesA solar energizer runs a fence where there is no outlet. Size by joules and fence condition, not the miles on the box, and know when a barn outlet is the better source.
Straight guide — with a ranch-solar angleSolar for stock tanks and livestock waterPumping water to a tank is a good match for a small DC solar pump. Keeping that tank thawed at 10°F is not — de-icers draw far more than a panel gives in January.

Get honest numbers for your roof

Our Colorado crew looks up your utility’s current rules, models your roof, and tells you straight — including when solar or a battery won’t pay off.

Start my free estimate Call 720-370-8056
Call nowFree estimate