Built by engineers who got tired of stringing by hand
Branch is a lightweight AutoCAD plugin for solar stringing automation. We built it because we were spending more time on tedious drafting than actual engineering.
Our mission
Solar engineers spend too much time on repetitive CAD work—manually drawing string lines, counting modules, measuring wire runs. It's tedious, error-prone, and it hasn't changed in decades.
We built Branch to fix that. It's a focused AutoCAD plugin that automates solar stringing, homerun routing, and circuit length export—so you can spend your time on actual engineering instead of drafting.
Branch reads native AutoCAD blocks and polylines — no proprietary file formats, no complex setup. Install the plugin, run on any panel layout, done.
Founded
Started by Case Western Reserve University engineers who met as ThinkEnergy fellows at the Great Lakes Energy Institute.
Where the name comes fromHow it works
Branch uses reinforcement learning for spatial reasoning—no customer data required, no cloud dependency for core features.
No Customer Data Needed
Unlike generative AI approaches that need training on proprietary designs, Branch uses procedural training and spatial reasoning to work with any panel layout—without ever seeing your project files.
Optimized Routing
Specialized algorithms handle string optimization, homerun path planning with k-means clustering, and NEC-compliant stringing—all running locally inside AutoCAD.
Where We're Headed
Branch automates solar stringing in AutoCAD, and it keeps getting more of the drafting done. The bigger step is Leaf Automation Studio: type what you need, and the Studio authors a real CAD tool you keep. Run it on Leaf, or export it to AutoCAD.
The same approach reaches past solar. Anywhere an engineer is redrawing something by hand, there is a tool worth authoring.
Automated tests
Customer data needed
CEC modules
Wire tracking
Our values
Engineer-First
Built by solar engineers, for solar engineers. Every feature solves a real problem we've dealt with ourselves.
Honest About Scope
We do stringing, homerunning, and cable exporting really well. We don't pretend to be more than we are.
Always Improving
We ship updates based on user feedback. If something's missing, tell us—we're probably already working on it.
Who's behind Leaf Automation
Solar engineer and software developer from Columbus, Ohio.
Evan Haug
Founder and CEO
Electrical engineer out of Case Western Reserve University who spent two years drafting commercial electrical plan sets by hand, then built the plugin that does it instead. Branch automates the solar drafting. Leaf Automation Studio is where that goes next: type what you need, and it authors the CAD tool for you. Either way, engineers get the day back.
LinkedInBacked by
Supported by leading accelerators and organizations in energy and technology.
Black & Veatch
Enterprise customer and design partner for solar drafting automation.
UChicago Transform
Cohort 3 of the Polsky Center's data science and AI startup accelerator.
DOE American-Made
Winner of $150,000+ in prizes from the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Prize.
Get in touch
Have questions? We'd love to hear from you.
Or email us directly
contact@leafautomation.ai