Projects

1. How to Use Projects

All project pages are organized as a folio.

On the left side bar is the general information about the site. This includes the name, client, address, site access instructions, an open issue summary, and the commercial operation date.

The rest of the information regarding the project is organized using the tabs just under the SolarGrade top menu. We've outlined each tab below.

Project Details

This is where all of details of your project live. This includes:

System information (system type, DC and AC size, ESS energy capacity, ESS max discharge rate)
System design (voltage, modules per string, combiner boxes)
Modules (make, model, power, quantity)
Inverters (make, model, power, AC nominal voltage, quantity)
Racking (type, make/model, tilt, azimuth)
Progress tracking

Team members

These are all of the team members associated with this project. They are organized based on user role (admin, manager, inspector).

Reports

This is an aggregation of all reports for the project. It is filterable by date, title, scope, and issues. You can access the report directly by clicking the VIEW REPORT button. You can download directly to PDF by clicking the downward arrow. You can share the report by selecting the share icon. You can delete the report by selecting the delete icon.

Issue Summary

This is a summary of all issues created for the selected project. It is filterable by issue title, site visit, status (open/closed), site visit section and category, severity, occurrence value, date, and associated team member. You can also export this table to csv for more details and analytics.

Photos

The photos tab is a quick access to the photo repository for each site visit. Simply click into the site visit you wish to explore and use the filters (section, category, status, severity, date, team member) to navigate to that part of the report to find the photo you're looking for.

Site Visits

This is a log of all site visits both past and upcoming. It is in a table format to increase at-a-glance visibility and allow for filtering. Filtering options include title, associated work order, last sync date, site visit date, assigned team members, scope, fails, passes, and progress.

To enter a site visit, click the hyperlinked title.

Drawing Set

This is where you can view all of the uploaded PDF drawings you have and georeference new drawings.

Work Orders

This page aggregates all of the work orders for that particular project. The table functions the same as the table in the planner feature. You can update statuses, change dates, scopes, team members, and enter the work order straight from the page.

You can also filter by work order title, scope, dates, status, team, and budget.

2. Adding a Project

From the dashboard, select the ADD PROJECT button in the top right corner
Then ADD NEW PROJECT
Add name, location (by address or coordinates), and contact (from database or add a new one)
- These are the only required fields
- You only need a primary contact in order to create the project
Add a project ID if you have an internal naming system
Add system information and system design from your records
Add modules and inverters (central, string, and microinverters)
- Use the dropdown menu to select the make and model or manually add your own
- To add more than one module or inverter type, select the + icon to the right of the category header
- The quantity is calculated based on system size. However, you can edit this value to reflect your drawings
Add racking
- To add more than one racking type by selecting the + icon
- To add more than one tilt or azimuth, simply enter a comma after the first value
Add energy storage information (these values do not autopopulate)
Add any external links that you wish to be associated with the project
- These will turn into buttons on the project page
Add a project status
- The options are Development, Pre-Construction, Construction, Commissioning & Energization, Operational, Systemic Remediation, Decommissioned
Assign project to your team
- PLEASE NOTE: inspectors need to be assigned to both the project and the site visit in order to access both the project information and site visit information
Click SAVE

You will then be prompted to upload project drawings. To georeference these drawings, click here.

3. Georeferencing a Project

To edit your project drawings, you can either click the EDIT DRAWINGS button on the top right corner of the "Drawings" tab.

Click ADD DRAWINGS and select the drawing files you wish to upload
- Note: we recommend you link to all drawings, but only upload 10 drawings for optimized use
Click ADD DRAWINGS again to upload the drawings
Select the drawing you wish to use for georeferencing. You can rotate these drawings by hovering over the page you wish to edit and selecting the rotate icon in the top right corner of the page
Crop the drawing to include only the layout of the site
Move the red and yellow pins to opposite sides of the drawing and Google Maps view of the site
- For example:
  - Drag the red pin to the top right corner of the site in both the map and the layout
  - Drag the yellow pin to the bottom left corner of the site in both the map and the layout
If preferred, you can use the exact coordinates of select areas of your site and input them in the fields below the Google Maps view for the coordinates of the blue and yellow pins. This is most helpful in large utility scale sites that are in construction (and therefore not accurately reflected in Google Maps).
Select MATCH
Make adjustments if necessary
Click READY
Name the georeferenced layout
Select DONE

4. Editing a Project

To edit a project, you can either click the EDIT PROJECT button on the top right corner of the "Project Details" tab.

Another way to do it is by:

Locating the 3 vertical dots at the top right corner of the side panel
Click the pencil icon
Make any necessary changes to the project information
Click SAVE

You can edit a project from the dashboard by:

Select the 3 vertical dots on the right side of the project line
Click the pencil icon
Make any necessary changes to the project information
Click SAVE

5. Using Progress Tracking

Navigate to the PROJECTS tab
Select the project you want to edit
Scroll down through the project information until you see the PROGRESS TRACKING section header (if you reach the site visit log, you’ve gone too far)
Select the ADD PROJECT TRACKER button
Input the name of the item you want to track (it could be modules, inverters, gremlins, piles, etc.)
Input the target quantity (this is the total number or your goal)
Every site visit has a PROGRESS TRACKING section at the top of the page, just above the GENERATE REPORT button. When your team works on an site visit, they can select the desired progress tracker for that particular site visit and input the appropriate values.
- For example, if you installed 1,000 modules over the course of an site visit, you would input 1,000. The 1,000 modules installed during this site visit are then added to the cumulative amount for this particular project.
When you publish a report, this data can be accessed within the report as line graphs. It can also be found on the PROJECT page for an at-a-glance view of the activity’s progress.

6. Deleting a Project

7. Archiving / Unarchiving a Project

To archive a project:

From the dashboard, you can either:
- Select the 3 vertical dots on the right side of the project line, OR
- Navigate to the relevant project
  - In the left side panel, locate the 3 vertical dots at the top right corner of the side panel
Click the square symbol with a downward arrow

To unarchive a project:

From the dashboard, select the toggle at the top of the page to view archived projects
From the dashboard, you can either:
- Select the 3 vertical dots on the right side of the project line, OR
- Navigate to the relevant project
  - In the left side panel, locate the 3 vertical dots at the top right corner of the side panel
Click the faded square symbol with a downward arrow on the far right of the project line

8. Bulk Download Photos

9. Adding Team Members to a Project

There are two ways to perform this action.

Option 1

This option is better for adding multiple people to one project.

Go to the project you wish to assign the team member to
Select the Team Members tab
Click the EDIT button
Select the + icon
Add the team member in your account

Option 2

This option is better for adding one user to many projects.

Navigate to the Teams tab
Find the team member you wish to add to projects
Click the projects displayed in the "Associated Projects" column
- This will open up an editing window
Select the "Add to Projects" button
Use the dropdown menu to select all projects you wish to assign the team member to
Select ADD

10. How to export project information

11. What are Contacts?

Contacts in SolarGrade are people or organizations connected to a project who do not need access to the SolarGrade platform. They are mainly used to store important stakeholder information and make it easier for teams to manage communication and reporting related to a project.

Unlike Team users, Contacts do not receive login credentials and cannot access SolarGrade. Instead, they serve as reference points for your projects and can be selected when sharing reports.

Typical examples of Contacts include:

Asset owners or homeowners

EPC companies

O&M providers

General contractors

Financiers or investors

Developers or technical advisors

Other third-party stakeholders connected to the project

12. Adding Contacts to a Project

Contact Information Fields

When creating a Contact in SolarGrade, you can provide several pieces of information to help organize stakeholders across your projects.

Company
This field identifies the organization the contact belongs to. For example, this could be the EPC company, asset owner company, or contractor company involved in the project.

Role
Each contact can be assigned a role that describes their relationship to the project. SolarGrade provides multiple role options such as:

O&M Provider

EPC

Asset Owner

Asset Manager

Investor

Portfolio

Offtaker

Technical Advisor

Independent Engineer

Owner's Engineer

Developer

General Contractor

Civil Contractor

Electrical Contractor

Mechanical Contractor

3rd Party

Other

These roles help categorize stakeholders and make reporting and project organization easier.

Full Name
The name of the person representing the company or organization.

Email Address
The contact’s email address can be stored for communication or when sharing SolarGrade reports externally.

Telephone / Mobile Number
This allows your team to easily reach the contact when coordinating inspections, scheduling site visits, or discussing project details.

Associating Contacts with Projects

Each contact can be linked to one or multiple projects. This allows your team to quickly identify which stakeholders are related to a specific project.

When a contact is associated with a project, your team can easily:

View who is involved with that project

Select contacts when sharing reports

Reference stakeholder information during inspections or project coordination

Primary Contact Requirement

Every project in SolarGrade requires one Primary Contact.

This is usually the main client or organization associated with the work, such as the company being invoiced or the asset owner.

If you encounter an error when creating a project that says a Primary Contact is required, it usually means one has not been selected yet.

To fix this:

Go to the Contacts list

Click the star icon next to the contact’s Company name

This will mark them as the Primary Contact

Click Save

Once a Primary Contact is set, you should be able to create the project without any issues.

13. Contacts Common Use Cases

Common Use Cases

Teams typically use Contacts in SolarGrade for the following:

Homeowner or Asset Owner Information
Store the owner’s contact details so inspectors or managers can coordinate site visits.

Project Stakeholder Tracking
Keep track of all organizations involved in a project such as EPCs, contractors, and investors.

Report Sharing
Contacts can receive the shared SolarGrade report link after a report is generated.

Project Organization
Clearly identify who owns, manages, builds, or operates the asset.

Feature	Contacts	Team Users
Login to SolarGrade	No	Yes
Receive invitation email	No	Yes
Can perform site visits	No	Yes
Used for stakeholder tracking	Yes	No

Team users (Admins, Managers, Inspectors, and Viewers) are the people who actively use SolarGrade and log in to the platform.

Contacts are external stakeholders connected to projects but do not access the platform directly.

14. Guidelines for .csv Bulk Project Uploads

If you are requesting a project bulk upload in SolarGrade, please make sure to request the latest version of the Bulk Project Upload template from the Customer Support team. Using the most recent template helps ensure a smooth upload process. Once you have the template, please follow the instructions below when completing the file.

REQUIRED FIELDS:

Contact (Columns W to AB): When entering contact information, please follow the same format used in the “Primary Contact” fields. This is where you’re going associate a financing partner or with a field service partner to a project. I would suggest to just pick one (1) primary contact with their details.
Address Field (Column C): Please remove “GA” (or any state abbreviation) and “USA” from the address field. Only include the Block #, Street name, and/or ZIP code. 
State Field (Column D): Use the 2-letter abbreviation for any state (e.g. “GA” for Georgia).

NOT REQUIRED FIELDS:

Commercial Operation Date (Column L): All dates must be written in the following format — YYYY/MM/DD.
Custom IDs (Column B): For this field we don't allow spaces. It has 50-character limit. Some special characters are allowed (hyphen, underscore, period, comma, semicolon, colon).
Fields with Multiple Values (Columns N, O, S, T): For fields that allow multiple values (e.g., Modules per String, Number of Combiner Boxes, or Racking Azimuth/Tilt), please separate entries using a comma + space (example: 4, 5, 6). Without space after the comma, the system will not recognize the values correctly. 
Azimuth Values (Column T): These values must be whole numbers only. The system does not accept decimals, so please round them as needed. 
Module & Inverter Equipment (Column AC to AM): In order to add equipment, we need all equipment-related fields to be fully completed (model, power rating, description, quantity, voltage [Vac], etc.). Please leave those fields blank if the details aren’t complete. Entering some, but not all, info will cause an upload error.
Multiple Equipment Types or Brands: If a project has multiple types or brands of equipment, each must be entered on a new line. For these additional lines, please leave the rest of the project information blank (the whole row, see column A to AB).
Inverter Typology (Column AH): please make sure to choose from the accepted values ("String inverter", "Central inverter", and "Microinverter"). These are case sensitive, so please enter as written above.
Racking Typology (Column R): 'Fixed tilt'
'East-West Fixed Tilt'
'Single Axis Tracker
Link URL (Column AT): for any internal document sharing or reference, you should also provide a Link Name (Column AS), as the upload will cause an error without it.

Contact

News

Stay Connected

Newsletter Signup

Download the App