Important notice for South Africans with rooftop solar

The South African Photovoltaic Industry Association (SAPVIA) says that all Small-Scale Embedded Generators (SSEG) must heed Eskom’s warnings and register their installations.

This is to ensure the safety and performance of the national grid by making sure all installations are compliant with national standards and municipal bylaws.

SSEGs are customer-owned generation units, typically less than 1MW/1MVA in generation capacity, connected to the electricity distribution network.

Solar PV is the most common SSEG technology, and these installations are governed by a combination of national legislation and regulations, national standards, local municipal by-laws and regulations, as well as the national grid code, administered by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa).

Over the past few years, as load shedding wrecked households, businesses and the economy, the government opened up the market and introduced tax incentives to boost solar PV, including rooftop solar for households.

In 2023, national power utility Eskom started intensifying awareness campaigns around these installations, warning customers to register their generators and ensure they are up to code.

The group had been putting notices out about this since 2020, it said, but the threat of thousands of rands in fees and penalties started making waves only in 2025.

While critics have argued that rooftop solar and certain setups of panels and inverters would exempt customers from having to register their installations, Eskom has been explicit: any SSEG that is linked to the grid—whether it feeds electricity back or not—has to be registered.

All SSEG systems need to be registered with a licensed distributor (Eskom, City Power, municipal distributors, etc). This includes rooftop solar installations in the 5 to 10kW range.

Systems above 100kW/100kVA must also register with Nersa.

Registration is not required for those with systems that take them completely off-grid; however, they still need to meet Nersa’s standards and provide Eskom with the necessary proof and documentation.

Municipal bylaws related to building regulations and fire safety may still apply to off-grid setups.

SAPVIA said it generally supports the registration efforts, adding that compliance is mandatory for a reason.

While it is an administrative burden, it is crucial that the grid is protected and that equipment is safely installed to ensure stability.

SAPVIA said that homeowners and businesses should technically request pre-approval from the distributor—Eskom or municipalities—before installing an SSEG system to comply with connection agreement terms.

“Failure to do so would be a contravention of the connection agreement terms between the homeowner and the distributor,” it said.

Customers then need to ensure the SSEG system meets all relevant standards and regulations, apply for an SSEG connection, pay the applicable fees, and sign all the necessary SSEG agreements with the distributor.

However, given the chaos of the last few years, many customers have not done this, simply installing their systems, getting a certificate of compliance (CoC) and assuming everything is okay.

The solar industry has also flagged ‘fly-by-night’ installers as an issue in the sector, with very few municipalities ensuring standardisation or compliance in solar installations.

Thus the registration process is to ensure that:

• Solar PV systems are installed according to the national installation standards (SANS 10142-1 and SANS 60364-7-712).
• The Certificate of Compliance (CoC) and all supporting documentation are in compliance with the installation standards.
• The installation complies with the Environmental Information Regulations (EIR)
• The installation follows municipal bylaws regarding technical specifications (e.g., NRS 097-2-1), inspection, commissioning, and professional sign-off requirements.

SAPVIA noted that installers and contractors may handle SSEG registration on behalf of the homeowner, but the ultimate responsibility for SSEG compliance remains with the customers.

How to register your solar

In the wake of Eskom’s warnings, many rooftop solar users have tried—sometimes unsuccessfully—to register their installations.

While the power utility purports to have made the process streamlined and accessible, many customers find it to be anything but.

“Homeowners only need to register with their respective distributors. This means that a municipal customer only needs to register with the relevant municipality, while Eskom direct customers must register with the utility,” SAPVIA said.

SAVIA outlined the general processes that should be followed when registering.

For Eskom customers:

Eskom has stated that customers have until March 2026 to qualify for an exemption from high registration fees.

For municipal customers:

Municipalities with no registration process

SAPVIA acknowledged that not every municipality has an SSEG policy or registration process.

If a municipality lacks SSEG policies, compliance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act, Environmental Information Regulations, and national standards remains mandatory.

“Homeowners should inquire about potential SSEG policy developments and documentation with the municipality,” it said.

In lieu of this, the best practices from Eskom and leading municipalities (e.g., Cape Town, Ekurhuleni, George) should be followed.

“A registered Professional Engineer should inspect and sign off installations in line with industry best practices.

“Installers must adhere to national installation standards and issue a Certificate of Compliance (CoC),” the group said.