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Getting started

Phasor runs engineering calculations on your desktop. Start with Energy plant design to size a hybrid generation system, or Network model to study an electrical network.

Check the build before the tutorial

The plant guides and screenshots describe the development workflow inspected on 10 September 2026. Read the download release notes for feature and project-format compatibility. An older build may not open a project saved by a newer one.

Install Phasor

  1. Open the download page and select an available release.
  2. Read its release notes and choose the asset for your operating system and processor.
  3. Compare the file’s SHA-256 checksum with the value published for that exact asset.
  4. On macOS, extract the application archive and move the app to Applications. On Windows, run the published installer and follow its instructions.
  5. Open Phasor and complete the sign-in shown by your build.

Use the actual downloaded filename in the checksum command. For example, on macOS:

shasum -a 256 ~/Downloads/your-downloaded-file.zip

On Windows PowerShell:

Get-FileHash .\your-downloaded-file.exe -Algorithm SHA256

Matching hashes show that the file matches the published bytes. They do not certify the publisher, code safety or engineering accuracy.

If macOS blocks the application, inspect the specific message and the release’s signing instructions. Confirm the source before allowing it through the operating system’s controls. Do not treat a quarantine warning as harmless solely because the checksum matches.

Account and connectivity

Release builds use a Phasor account. The app can show Sign in or Create account and retains the device session locally. The normal development build bypasses that login gate.

Release builds recheck account access in the background. Offline use is subject to the account’s verification grace period; it is not an unlimited offline entitlement. Check Settings → Account if the app reports an access problem.

Core calculations run locally. Other features can require external services:

FeatureExternal connection
Account and release servicesSign-in, account checks and release/update requests.
Application telemetry in release buildsApp-open and app-close events, including version and platform, are queued and sent to the website service.
AI assistantRequests and selected project context go to the configured model provider.
Weather, site data and basemapsData requests go to the selected source. Cached or imported inputs can support later offline work.

An account sign-in and an assistant API key serve different purposes. Configure the latter only if you want to use the AI assistant.

Create your first plant project

  1. Open the new-project dialog.
  2. Select Energy plant design.
  3. Enter Project name and a useful description.
  4. Set System frequency to the intended system frequency.
  5. Select Create project and save the project to disk.
  6. Follow Design a generation plant.

The plant workflow proceeds from location and demand to weather, equipment, annual simulation, sizing and finance. You can add distribution design when the project needs powerlines and customer connections.

Plant overview from the development workflow

Plant overview from the development workflow

Do not start by copying equipment sizes from a screenshot. Establish the demand and resource basis for your own case. The screenshots document controls, not a complete reproducible project fixture.

Start with a network instead

Select Network model in the new-project dialog. Enter its name and frequency, then set System base power in MVA. That value is the network-wide power base for per-unit calculations.

Build or import the network:

Supply the equipment data needed by the study. A source, a topology and realistic load values are not sufficient if line impedances, transformer bases or source settings are missing.

Create and run a Power flow case. Read convergence and violations before interpreting the diagram colors. If an island has no source, inspect it in Graph Space. Correct the model or its operating case before trying again.

Save evidence, not just screenshots

The project is saved locally as a .phasor file. Keep the saved design versions, study identities, source data and required result files or exports together under your project backup procedure. Do not assume a screenshot or a copied open database is a complete analysis record.

Use the app’s save and export functions. A binary project file does not provide the readable line-by-line history of a text model; use supported text exports when you need that kind of review.

Next steps