# Having a project validated

> How the Voltmasters project engineers review a new project: what to check beforehand, when a project becomes ready for validation and what is checked.

Source: https://voltmasters.io/en/docs/getting-started/project-validation/

A new project is first **commissioned**: devices are added, the grid settings are entered and the control strategy is chosen. When that work is finished, the Voltmasters **project engineers** review the configuration before the installation goes into service.

The **EMS dashboard** shows a status bar with the validation state of the project, so everyone involved can see whether the project is still being commissioned, is waiting for validation, or has been validated.

## Before you request a validation

Check that:

-   every device has been added and is delivering **live data**;
-   the correct **main meter** is selected and the grid connection type matches the installation;
-   the **import and export limits** and their safety margins match the grid connection contract;
-   the **strategy** and the **energy contract** match each other.

See [Adding and verifying devices](https://voltmasters.io/en/docs/getting-started/adding-and-verifying-devices/) and [Project settings](https://voltmasters.io/en/docs/voltmasters-platform/project-settings/general-settings/) for the settings involved.

## When a project is ready for validation

You can mark the project as **ready for validation** yourself once commissioning is finished. If you do not, the platform marks it ready on its own once the controller has been steering the installation for **five days without interruption**. The platform checks this **once a day**.

![Six-day timeline to ready for validation. The platform checks once a day whether the controller is steering the installation. Day 0: the first check that sees active steering starts the count. Days 1 to 3: every day it is checked whether steering is still active. Day 4: the installers of the project receive an email with the date on which the project will be marked ready, and the status bar on the EMS dashboard shows the same date. Day 5: the project is ready for validation and the Voltmasters project engineers are notified. On an interruption, such as a strategy that is switched off or a controller that goes offline, the count starts over at day 0. Steering counts as active when a control strategy is selected, the controller is online and at least one battery or PV inverter is steered. If a reason has been reported, the project is not marked ready automatically until the reason is removed.](https://voltmasters.io/assets/docs/project-validation-timeline-en.svg)

*From the first day of active steering to ready for validation.*

-   Steering counts as active when a control strategy is selected, the controller is online and at least one battery or PV inverter is steered by the controller. The five days start at the first daily check that sees this.
-   After **four days**, the installers of the project receive an email with the date on which the project will be marked ready for validation. The status bar on the EMS dashboard shows the same date.
-   A day later, the project is marked as **ready for validation** and the Voltmasters project engineers are notified.
-   If the steering is interrupted, for example because the strategy is switched off or the controller went offline, the count starts over.

### Postponing the validation

Is there a reason why the project cannot be validated yet, for example because the PV installation is not finished? Click **Report a reason** in the status bar on the EMS dashboard. Voltmasters receives your reason, and the project is not marked ready for validation automatically until you remove it with **Remove reason**.

## What Voltmasters checks

Voltmasters reviews the configuration: the meters and their roles, the grid limits, the strategy and the energy contract, and the communication with each device.

The engineers work through a fixed **validation checklist** for this, so you know in advance what is being checked:

1.  All project settings are entered.
2.  The battery responds to a charge setpoint.
3.  The battery responds to a discharge setpoint.
4.  The PV inverters respond to a curtail setpoint.
5.  There is no oscillation.

Remarks can be added per point, and the project can only be validated once every point is met.

![The controller validation checklist in the Voltmasters platform, with five points that are each ticked off and each have a field for a remark: 1. all project settings are entered, 2. the battery responds to the charge setpoint, 3. the battery responds to the discharge setpoint, 4. the PV inverters respond to the curtail setpoint, 5. there is no oscillation. At the bottom are the buttons to save a draft and to validate the project. Validating is only possible once every point is ticked.](https://voltmasters.io/assets/docs/controller-validation-checklist.webp)

*The checklist the project engineers work through before a project is validated.*

## Correcting findings

If something needs correcting, Voltmasters reports it back to you. After you correct the findings, request the validation again.