Solar and EV lab

Solar and EV charger simulator: size, commission and fix in 3D

A solar array, a battery and an EV charger on one site make a small power system that has to be sized, protected and energised in the right order. The Solar and EV lab in EDWartens Lab is a free 3D site in your browser where you practise it.

Open the lab free See the whole lab

Free with a free EDWartens account. Runs in your browser. The lab is in beta.

A solar power station in the countryside — The Solar and EV lab is a 3D solar and charging site.

What the solar and EV simulator does

You walk a solar, battery and EV charging site and do the jobs an installer or designer gets in a ticket. Each job starts with a work order from a fictional client and ends with an automatic acceptance test. The equipment is generic, so the lab teaches the method rather than one maker's product.

3D view of String sizing for the coldest and hottest day — String sizing for the coldest and hottest day

Eight levels, from survey to load management

The lab has eight levels. You survey a site, name every part and find the places that isolate it. You choose modules per string and strings per MPPT so the inverter is safe on the coldest day and still tracking on the hottest, and you select the string cable, fuse, DC isolator, surge protectors and AC breaker.

The later levels cover sizing an array for self-consumption from a day's generation and load, setting battery rules under a time-of-use tariff, commissioning the system in the safe energising order, reading the control pilot of a car that will not charge, and sharing a limited supply between three chargers so the main fuse never trips.

Why the order matters

A solar array stays live while the sun shines, so the lab asks about isolation and energising order, not just the final numbers. The survey level asks which parts stay live after you switch off. A real site has its own rules and permits, and the lab is practice for the thinking.

Free, and part of the Electrical Design internship

Opening the lab, doing the levels and passing the acceptance tests are free with a free EDWartens account. The lab is in beta. Solar and EV tasks also count inside the Electrical Design Internship as optional practice, and in the project weeks of the Commissioning and Maintenance Internship.

How it works

Create a free EDWartens account, or sign in if you already have one.
Open Site survey and name every part and isolation point.
Size the strings for the coldest and hottest day.
Choose the cables, fuses, isolators and surge protectors.
Commission the system in the safe order, then fix the charger.

Labs to open for this

Site survey: name every part and every isolation pointSolar and EV lab
String sizing for the coldest and hottest daySolar and EV lab
Commission the system: the safe energising orderSolar and EV lab
EV charger fault: a car will not chargeSolar and EV lab

Browse all labs (free account needed to open them).

Questions people ask

Is there a free solar and EV charger simulator?

Yes. The Solar and EV lab in EDWartens Lab is a free 3D site that runs in your browser. You need a free EDWartens account. You size strings, select protection, commission the system and pass an automatic acceptance test.

Can I practise PV string sizing online?

Yes. One level has you choose modules per string and strings per MPPT so the inverter is safe at the coldest temperature and still tracks at the hottest.

Can I practise EV charger fault finding?

Yes. One level has you read the control pilot, the proximity pilot and the leakage when a car will not charge, name the cause and make the right fix.

Does it replace training for installers?

No. A real installation has its own standards, permits and tests. The simulation is practice for the thinking and the order of the work.

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