Create Your First Project
Your first project should represent one real planning job. Keep it simple. The aim is to get one version working cleanly from start to results, then branch later if you need to compare other options.
1. Start with one clear job
Think in terms of one use case, not every possible use case at once. A project might be a house backup plan, an RV setup, a boat using shore power when available, or a workshop that needs limited backup support.
Give the project a name that will still make sense later. Short and clear is better than vague. A name such as Main House Backup, Weekend RV Setup, or Workshop Essentials is easier to work with than something generic.
2. Create the project
On the Projects page, create the project in the workspace you actually want to use. If you are working personally, stay in your personal workspace. If the work belongs inside a Business workspace, switch into that workspace first and then create it there.
That matters because project ownership follows the active workspace context. Later pages in the guide will cover workspaces in more detail, but for now the simple rule is this: create the project in the place where it really belongs.
3. Open the project
Once the project appears in the list, open it with the eye icon. That takes you to the project detail page for that specific project.
This page becomes the main checkpoint for the project. It shows the versions tied to that project and gives you the routes into scenario editing and results review.
4. Understand the first version
A new project does not begin with an empty structure. GridGap automatically creates the first project version for you. That means you already have a version ready to work with as soon as the project exists.
At first, the version name may be quite general. That is normal. Once you begin comparing options, clearer version names become more useful, especially when one version preserves a battery-only path and another preserves a solar + battery + inverter path.
5. Open the scenario editor
From the project detail page, open the scenario editor for the version you want to work on. This is where the practical work begins. The scenario page is where you build the version appliance list, create the scenario, set usage, and calculate results.
If the version is brand new, the page will naturally lead you into scenario creation because there is not yet a saved scenario in that version.
6. Build the version appliance list first
Before you focus on scenario usage, build the appliance list for the version. This is the master list of appliances available to that version. You are defining what the appliances are, not yet how they are used in a specific scenario.
That means this is the stage where you define things such as rated watts, quantity, duty cycle, surge multiplier, and power factor profile. The scenario-specific usage hours come later in the scenario workflow.
7. Create the first scenario
Once the appliance list is in place, create the scenario that matches the system you want to model first. For a first pass, choose the most realistic base case, not every variation you may want to compare later.
The app now gives you two practical routes. Most new users will follow the guided path by choosing the scenario type, creating the load groups, filling in usage hours, and then using Complete Guided Setup so GridGap can prepare a conservative starting set of scenario inputs. If you already know what you want to enter yourself, use Start with blank scenario settings and begin with a blank scenario editor instead.
You can still choose between a Battery + Inverter scenario and a Solar + Battery + Inverter scenario. You can also work in Simple or Technical mode once the scenario is open. If you are new to the app, the guided Simple route is usually the better place to begin.
8. Set usage and calculate
After the scenario exists, assign appliance usage for that scenario. This is where you decide which saved appliances are included and how long they are used in this particular setup. In the guided route, the usage step comes before the seeded scenario settings are prepared. In the blank route, you enter the scenario settings directly and then adjust usage in the normal editor flow.
When the scenario inputs and usage look right, click Calculate to generate results for the current version. If you reach a point where you want to preserve this version and branch into a variation, use Create New Version first, choose how the next version should be created, then calculate that new version when you are ready.
9. Keep the first version simple
The first version is not the place to test everything. Keep it realistic and focused. Once you have one believable result, it becomes much easier to create extra versions for different battery sizes, inverter assumptions, recharge windows, or solar options.