Important Eskom registration update for anyone with rooftop solar in South Africa
Eskom’s rooftop solar registration rules remain unclear, and civil action group OUTA recommends that homeowners and businesses should not register until the utility addresses several outstanding issues.
This follows a meeting between the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) and Eskom Distribution management on Friday, 8 August 2025.
The two parties discussed the compliance and registration requirements for low-voltage solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery energy storage (BES) systems installed in homes and businesses across South Africa.
OUTA said Eskom is still working through several matters that will directly affect the conditions and processes for small-scale embedded generation (SSEG) systems.
OUTA raised its concerns over what it calls restrictive and costly compliance requirements affecting three main groups.
These groups include prepaid customers with Homelight tariffs, postpaid customers with Homepower tariffs, and Homeflex time-of-use customers with solar PV and/or BES systems that do not feed electricity back into the Eskom grid.
OUTA CEO Wayne Duvenage said the meeting confirmed that significant uncertainty remains.
“There are several matters that are not clear when it comes to the public having to register their solar energy systems and battery systems with Eskom, as has been put out there in the media quite a lot lately,” he said.
He noted that OUTA has been inundated with public queries about whether to proceed with registration.
“This was the reason for our meeting with Eskom, and we believe, and mutually agree, that there are several matters that are still in progress with regards to tariffs, with regards to the national standards requirements, [and] electrical certification of compliance or not for these systems,” Duvenage explained.
“We believe the public should not register at this stage. There are many things that Eskom still has to clear up as far as we’re concerned, and they have to provide greater clarity on this matter going forward,” Duvenage stressed.
He said the current process is far too demanding. “There are just too many onerous conditions that are required, and we’ve made it clear to Eskom that we believe the public should not be registering at this stage until there’s clarity.”
Eskom overstepping
OUTA’s position is that Eskom’s current approach is irrational, unfair, anti-poor, and discriminatory towards households and businesses that have invested in reducing their reliance on the national grid.
The organisation believes that the mandatory SABS Code of Practice for Low-Voltage Electrical Installations is being amended to cover standby and grid-tied solar PV and BES systems, the most common residential installations.
Once these amendments are in effect, OUTA argues that the Occupational Health and Safety Act, the Electrical Installation Regulations, and the standard SANS 10142-1 will already provide all the necessary technical, safety, compliance, and enforcement rules for such systems.
Under this framework, OUTA believes there is no justification for Eskom to require sign-off from a professional registered with the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) for residential SSEG installations.
Instead, a valid Certificate of Compliance (CoC) from an accredited and registered electrical contractor should suffice.
According to OUTA, Eskom’s current rules for behind-the-meter systems under 100 kW may be exceeding its regulatory and safety enforcement authority.
During the meeting, Eskom’s Distribution representatives agreed to consider the issues raised and to respond to OUTA’s questions and submissions in due course.
OUTA plans to continue engaging with Eskom and the Department of Employment and Labour, the National Energy Regulator of South Africa, and the SABS working group responsible for SANS 10142-1.
Until OUTA is satisfied that all current requirements are rational and necessary, or that registration is even required, it has recommended that homeowners and businesses with small-scale systems hold off on registering with Eskom or their local municipality.
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