The year is 2197. If I had planned this better, I would've updated this thread then. 2397 refers to a different story, which I eventually decided to make this part of the same universe of.
That's about what I have so far.
I came up with this story to practice writing, before writing what I've been wanting to write about for a long time. For whatever reason I've been unable to commit to writing the actual story. There are limits to how much/often I can write, but considering the amount of comments I write, I figured I'd be able to convert some of that into book writing.
I've decided on a main character, on the how story is told, and a general path. Now I'm going to outline the story as far as I have planned it.
The main character (CA) is in charge of maintaining this mountain complex, to provide some extra space when it's needed, including utilizing the extra growth space. It's not at all unique. It's how people live, at least in this part of the world. The facility is somewhat old, it's had other uses before, but now it's spare. On occasion it could house firefighters.
Then a need arises. There has been damage to another facility, and it has to be closed indefinitely for repairs. Bringing about 20 more characters into the story. This allows CA to formally introduce them to the facility, and to explain what their own role is. Which is about the same as everyone else's role at this stage, because it's up to everyone to look after their own needs where they live. With some exceptions. And for a while, they'll be eating a lot of previously dried food, or previously energized food like rhubarb.
It's turning into winter when they arrive (this happened in 2196, so these may or may not be flashbacks after the story starts in 2197). Meaning that there's limited solar energy for farming and other uses. They have the water turbine and a small reservoir, in addition to internal batteries that help stabilize energy flow. A drought during winter would severely limit power generation. As I'm writing this, I'm wondering if it would be reasonable for there be one or more wind turbines in the mix. Shared between a few hundred people, same as the water turbine.
They're not currently on the national grid. The nation, Norway, has been independent for about 30 years. Given the circumstances of a very harsh climate and a reduced oxygen atmosphere, nation-(re)building has been slow and stagnant, existing infrastructure has suffered from lack of maintenance, as each smaller community has had enough with keeping themselves going. There was no revolution. A nuke went off in Moscow, due to someone else's conflict, and that was that. Norway became irrelevant. It also made for an increased need to remain indoors, for a while.
There is a partial national grid. Larger power plants are more interconnected. There is trade. There is life on Mars. Trains are the main form of transport, as being in sealed containers with decentralized power is very helpful. But there aren't trains everywhere.
It's winter. CA has gone from living solitarily, to most rooms being populated during the day. CA had also found a cat a little while earlier that they gave its own room, but now can't. Although they still have the privilege of being the only human in their bedroom, as for now the 20 guests occupy the other 5 bedrooms with associated storage rooms. There's another, larger facility that took in the other 20 out of the 40 who lived in the damaged one. Including parents with children, because that place is more suitable.
After the initial introduction is where I hit a wall. So I decided to try to start the story after some of the events have already happened, then work them in as flashbacks to give the impression of what's changed. And why CA, who has been fine with their own circumstances, isn't that comfortable anymore. The winter means that the guests have to stay there for a long time. It's more difficult to effect repairs, to use their battery-powered machines to drill and move debris, and to manufacture or obtain what they need from elsewhere.
Chapter 1 starts with January 1st. CA is updating and verifying the maintenance logs. Apparently they are the only one who's up early, not having participated in what is a very rare event involving alcohol. Until a second character shows up, and there is some back and forth hinting that this other character has a more positive outlook, in general.
One thing that's mentioned in the flashbacks is cannibalizing parts from the closed facility, to make repairs to the emergency facility. Early March is when the weather starts to look stable and warm enough for a group of them to travel to nearest town for more of what they need, as well as there being more solar energy.
The shortest route is walking only, but there is a hanging rail system along the path, to help transport items back and forth. And there's an old central cabin that's been fitted with solar panels, batteries, AC, and an oxygen system, in case there is a need for a longer break. CA picks out a group, as well as someone to replace themselves temporarily.
In town, events unfold that lead to CA considering becoming involved in national, and possibly international matters.
They make their trades, they talk about the possibility of finally reconnecting their village to the national grid, they return. They start working more on repairs.
CA has a conversation with someone (CB) who has proven themselves to be a great help, and was already a leadership figure among the guests, to ask who they would have take their own place. This ends with CA recruiting CB to go a longer journey.
CA hands the reins to someone else. They make a deal that yet another person has the right to overrule, if the continued living conditions for the cat is threatened, as a contingency plan.
Initially CA and CB visit another town to investigate rumors that people there want to build a dam to raise the lake they all live near and would disrupt the power plants that lie further up.
Eventually CA and CB join a mission to Svalbard to retrieve and clone vital seeds, leading them to go abroad.
CA at some point travels to Bangalore. Where the story ends in a sort of open-ended way.
I couldn't find that episode of Homestead Rescue.