Solar farm Gantt chart template: grid connection to handover
An editable solar farm Gantt chart: the utility's connection study, long-lead module and inverter orders, racking, modules and cabling in overlapping waves, then energisation, commissioning and handover.
What the solar farm gantt chart template: grid connection to handover process is
Most of the physical work on a solar farm is quick compared with the waiting. Piling, racking and module installation run for weeks, but the plan is set months earlier by two things outside the site fence: how long the utility takes to study and offer a connection, and how long the factory takes to ship modules and inverters. A generic project schedule hides this, because it treats every task as work your crew does. This template treats the long waits as tasks of their own, so you can see which one sets the finish.
The chart has four groups, "Site and grid connection", "Procurement", "Construction" and "Testing and energisation", with 22 tasks and four milestones. "Secure site control and surveys" (8 working days) is the only starting task. It feeds two separate waits that run side by side: "Utility connection study and offer" (35) after "Submit grid connection application" (3), and "Authority review of planning application" (30). "Connection agreement signed" and "Planning consent received" are milestones, and they open different doors. The agreement releases the equipment orders and the substation works; the consent releases the site.
Procurement is placed behind the connection agreement on purpose. "Finalise design and equipment specification" (10) starts 5 days into the site surveys, but "Place module order" (2) and "Place inverter and transformer order" (2) wait for both the design and "Connection agreement signed". Then "Module manufacture and shipping" (40) and "Inverter and transformer manufacture and shipping" (45) run as waits. Developers differ on how much they will commit before the agreement is signed. If you order earlier at your own risk, move that dependency and the chart shows how many weeks it buys.
Construction is where overlap is safe. "Clear site and build roads and fencing" (10) follows the consent. "Drive piles and build foundations" (12) is followed by "Install racking" (15), which starts 5 days after the piling starts, and "Install modules" (20), which starts 5 days after racking starts but also waits for the modules to arrive. "Install cabling and inverters" (20) starts 8 days into module installation and waits for the inverters. In the default numbers racking is finished long before the modules land, so the crew idles and the date is set by shipping. That gap is the finding: it is where a delivery slip costs the most and where a late design change is most expensive, because it changes what was ordered.
"Build onsite substation and connection works" (25) runs beside the array, then "Run pre-energisation inspection and testing" (8) waits for both it and the cabling. "Site energised" is a milestone, followed by "Run commissioning and performance tests" (15). "Prepare handover documents and training" (10) starts 5 days into commissioning, and "Handover complete" closes the plan. All durations are illustrative: replace each wait with what the utility, the authority and your suppliers tell you. A timeline schedules the work. It does not make anything safe, permitted, certified or compliant. For the equipment-order side, see /guides/long-lead-equipment-gantt-chart; for the final stages, see /guides/commissioning-and-energisation-gantt-chart; for the general build, see /templates/construction-gantt-chart.
What this flowchart covers
In this template
- Four groups, "Site and grid connection", "Procurement", "Construction" and "Testing and energisation", with 22 tasks and four milestones: "Connection agreement signed", "Planning consent received", "Site energised" and "Handover complete".
- Two external waits as tasks: "Utility connection study and offer" (35 working days) and "Authority review of planning application" (30), both starting after "Secure site control and surveys" or the application that follows it.
- Long-lead equipment: "Place module order" and "Place inverter and transformer order" wait for "Connection agreement signed", then "Module manufacture and shipping" (40) and "Inverter and transformer manufacture and shipping" (45) run as waits.
- Overlapping construction waves: "Install racking" starts 5 days after "Drive piles and build foundations" starts, "Install modules" 5 days after racking, and "Install cabling and inverters" 8 days after modules.
- A closing sequence that follows the real order: "Run pre-energisation inspection and testing", "Site energised", "Run commissioning and performance tests", with "Prepare handover documents and training" starting 5 days into commissioning.
When to use this template
- You are planning a ground-mounted solar build and need the owner, the engineering contractor and the construction crew to see the same dates.
- You want to know whether the connection study or the module delivery decides the finish, and what an earlier or later order would change.
- You are comparing a delivery slip with the cost of idle crews and need to see how much float racking really has.
- You want a starting plan that you adapt for your own site, instead of a blank sheet and a long list of tasks.
The plan, task by task
Every task in the chart with its length in working days and what it waits for. A dependency is a step number; SS is start-to-start, FF is finish-to-finish, and +n is a lag in working days.
| # | Task | Group | Working days | Depends on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Secure site control and surveys | Site and grid connection | 8 | |
| 2 | Submit grid connection application | Site and grid connection | 3 | 1 |
| 3 | Utility connection study and offer | Site and grid connection | 35 | 2 |
| 4 | Connection agreement signed | Site and grid connection | Milestone | 3 |
| 5 | Authority review of planning application | Site and grid connection | 30 | 1 |
| 6 | Planning consent received | Site and grid connection | Milestone | 5 |
| 7 | Finalise design and equipment specification | Procurement | 10 | 1SS+5 |
| 8 | Place module order | Procurement | 2 | 4, 7 |
| 9 | Place inverter and transformer order | Procurement | 2 | 4, 7 |
| 10 | Module manufacture and shipping | Procurement | 40 | 8 |
| 11 | Inverter and transformer manufacture and shipping | Procurement | 45 | 9 |
| 12 | Clear site and build roads and fencing | Construction | 10 | 6 |
| 13 | Drive piles and build foundations | Construction | 12 | 12 |
| 14 | Install racking | Construction | 15 | 13SS+5 |
| 15 | Install modules | Construction | 20 | 10, 14SS+5 |
| 16 | Install cabling and inverters | Construction | 20 | 11, 15SS+8 |
| 17 | Build onsite substation and connection works | Construction | 25 | 4, 12 |
| 18 | Run pre-energisation inspection and testing | Testing and energisation | 8 | 16, 17 |
| 19 | Site energised | Testing and energisation | Milestone | 18 |
| 20 | Run commissioning and performance tests | Testing and energisation | 15 | 19 |
| 21 | Prepare handover documents and training | Testing and energisation | 10 | 20SS+5 |
| 22 | Handover complete | Testing and energisation | Milestone | 20, 21 |
How it works
Replace the two external waits first
Set "Utility connection study and offer" and "Authority review of planning application" to the durations you have been given. They are the least controllable tasks, so they deserve real numbers before anything else.
Decide when the orders are released
"Place module order" and "Place inverter and transformer order" depend on "Connection agreement signed". Change that link if your commercial terms let you order earlier, and compare the finish dates.
Enter supplier lead times
Use the supplier's quoted lead time for "Module manufacture and shipping" and "Inverter and transformer manufacture and shipping". Add a buffer task after each if your delivery risk is high.
Tune the construction overlaps
The lags between piling, racking, modules and cabling are 5, 5 and 8 days. Keep each only if the crew can start that soon behind the one in front; see /guides/gantt-chart-overlapping-tasks.
Fix the dates that are really fixed
If the connection date or an outage window is fixed, pin the Start of the first task and the fixed task. The plan starts on the earliest fixed Start, so read the conflict flag when your own sequence cannot make the date.
Add owners, share and export
Put the responsible person in People, share the chart with the developer, contractor and utility contact, and export a PDF or CSV for the project file.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to build a solar farm?
It depends on the site, the connection and the supply chain. The numbers in this template are illustrative and add up to a plan where waiting, not site work, is most of the calendar. Replace them with your own and read the finish date from the chart.
Why does racking finish long before "Install modules" starts?
Because "Install modules" waits for "Module manufacture and shipping". That gap is deliberate: it shows that earlier site work does not bring the finish forward when delivery decides the date. See /guides/gantt-chart-dependencies.
Does the chart show that the project is permitted or safe to energise?
No. It schedules the work. Consent, utility approval and safety checks follow your own authorities and procedures. The chart shows when each step is planned to happen.
Can I use it for a battery or a wind project?
The pattern is similar, but the waits differ. For storage, see /templates/battery-storage-project-gantt-chart; for the general commissioning steps, see /templates/electrical-system-commissioning-sop.
How do I plan several phases of one farm?
Copy the construction group for each phase or add a group per phase, and start each later phase with a start-to-start lag. For equipment buying across a larger programme, see /templates/procurement-project-gantt-chart.