Solar and EV Charger Commissioning Simulator: Free Online Lab

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Commissioning a solar and EV charging site, in your browser

Commissioning is the stage where a new installation is checked, switched on and proved to work. For a small solar, battery and EV charger site it is a careful routine, and the order of the steps is part of the job. The free Solar and EV lab lets you practise that routine in 3D, in your browser, with no site visit needed.

The video above shows the main steps. Here is what each one means.

Step 1: check the permit and isolators

Before anything is touched, you check that the work is permitted and that the isolators are where you expect them. This is the paperwork and safety part that comes before any testing, and it is easy to underrate until something goes wrong.

Step 2: test the strings

Solar panels are wired in strings. Before you connect a string to the rest of the system, you test it to see that it is healthy and wired correctly. Finding a fault here is far easier than finding it after everything is live.

Step 3: energise in the safe order

Once the tests are good, you switch the site on in a sensible order. A site like this has several sources and loads, including panels, a battery and the grid, so the order in which you bring them in matters. The lab asks you to follow it, and it shows what you have done as you go.

Step 4: the EV charger circuit

Finally you move on to the EV charger circuit and run a charger session. This is the point where the site does the job it was built for, and where you confirm that the charger behaves as it should.

What you learn

The lab teaches the logic behind commissioning rather than a single product. You learn why you check before you test, why you test before you energise, and why the charger comes last. Those habits carry over to larger sites and to other kinds of equipment.

Who it suits

It suits electricians moving into solar and EV work, students in electrical courses, and installers who want to rehearse a routine before a first job. It does not replace the training, rules and certification that apply in your country, and it is no substitute for following the manufacturer instructions on a real site.

Open the Solar and EV lab and commission your first site. It is free to try.

Where to go next

After the solar and EV lab, try the Panel Lab to practise the safe isolation and testing habits on a control panel, or the substation and MCC lab for a different kind of switchroom.

See what other learners have finished on the learner wins page.