Creating a project
How to create a new SolarLayout project from a KMZ.
A project is a named site you can return to. Each project holds your KMZ boundary, your plant parameters, and every layout you've generated for that site. Projects are stored in your SolarLayout account so they follow you across machines — there's no local "project folder" to manage.
Creating a new project
A project is born the moment you bring a KMZ into SolarLayout. There's no separate "new project" form to fill in — you pick the KMZ, and SolarLayout sets up the project around it.
Start a new project
You have three ways to start:
- The + New project button at the top-right of the Projects list.
- The + tile at the right end of the tab bar.
- File → Open KMZ… in the menu bar (or its keyboard shortcut).
Each one opens the file picker.
Pick your KMZ
In the file picker, choose the KMZ that describes the site — the same KMZ you'd open in Google Earth. SolarLayout reads the boundary, plots, exclusions, and ICR placemarks from it.
If you're not sure what shape your KMZ should be in, see KMZ requirements.
Watch it set up
A progress dialog appears with three steps:
- Uploading boundary file — your KMZ goes to SolarLayout's storage.
- Creating your project — the project record is created in your account.
- Reading boundaries — SolarLayout reads the polygons from your KMZ so the canvas can render them.
The whole thing usually completes in a few seconds. The first project of a fresh session sometimes takes a little longer (5-7 seconds) while the cloud worker warms up.
The project canvas opens
When setup finishes, the project opens in a new tab. The canvas shows your KMZ boundary; the input panel on the right is loaded with default plant parameters, ready for you to adjust.
Next stop: Your first layout for the end-to-end walkthrough.
How your project gets its name
SolarLayout names the project after the KMZ filename, with the
.kmz extension stripped. So Bikaner_80MW_Tata.kmz becomes a
project called Bikaner_80MW_Tata.
You can rename a project at any time:
- From the Projects list, click the row's ⋯ menu and choose Rename.
- From an open project, right-click its tab and choose Rename.
Most teams name projects after the customer, the site, or the tender — e.g., "Bikaner — 80 MW (Tata)" or "MP State Tender H1-2027". Pick a convention and stay close to it.
Where projects live
Projects live in your SolarLayout account, not on your computer's disk. That means:
- The same project list appears when you sign in on a different machine with the same account.
- Deleting the SolarLayout app from your computer does not delete your projects.
- Sharing a project with a colleague isn't a file-copy task — it requires giving them access to the project, which isn't shipped yet (it's on the roadmap).
The KMZ you imported is kept inside your project so you can re-download it later from the project's settings. Your original KMZ file on disk is yours to keep, move, or delete — SolarLayout doesn't touch it.
Working on multiple projects
You can have several projects open at once, each in its own tab. The tab bar runs along the top of the app. Click a tab to switch; right-click a tab for rename / delete / close-others / close-to-the-right options.
The Projects list (under Home) is your full project library — every project you've ever created on this account. See Recent projects & layouts for how to navigate it.