Saldanha / Langebaan. Is registration of a solar system required? Helping someone and need to pressure the installer to comply if so. I'm familiar with COCT and if it's similar that would be all I need to know.

 

AFAIK each municipality sets their own rules (By Laws), you should maybe contact the Saldanha / Langebaan municipality for correct info.

I have emailed them and live in hope as the install deadline looms. Installer is being coy.

 

Yes it is required for the Saldanha Bay Municipal district, i.e. Saldanha, Vredenburg, Langebaan, Hopefield, Paternoster, etc. Their requirements are modelled on CoCT regs. Let me know your e-mail address and I'll forward you the pack that I got from their HOD Electrical.  

From their local municipal newsletter

 

I have had a reply from Saldanha. Thanks for the input everyone.

 Attached to the forms we will require the following:
 ID of owner
 Drawing of SSEG
 COC
 Inverter certificate and it must be on proof list as Cape Town.
Municipal account.
 Commissioning report.
 The systems must be sign of by an ECSA registered Pr Eng or Pr Tech Eng.
  If owner wants to export, a ECSA registered Pr Eng Pr Tech Eng must sign off on the job, for non-export of power a PV Green Card P4 Installer may also sign off.

Because of the increase of SSEG applications, SBM made the decision that random inspections on existing and new SSEG installations will be conducted.
SBM requires that the installer take two photos of all installed SSEG systems, new and existing.

In terms of the agreement based on the Green-Cape and AMEU documentation, the allowable installation capacity is limited to 25 % of the connection capacity. To be connected to the grid, the consumer will also need to be a net user of energy.

A domestic customer with a 60 Ampere single Phase connection (60A x 230V = 13,8KW) therefore may only install a 3.45KW system if the consumer want to feedback into network. The consumer will pay the normal Service and Connection Capacity Charge and the normal Energy rates for all the energy that is import. For the energy that is export into the grid, the consumer will be refunded for the energy at the Infeed Tariff.

We make use of a double meter system where the Import and Export energy is recorded separately. If the consumer wants to feedback to the grid he will pay for new meter.

Short explanation:

Hybrid inverters operating in islanded (off-grid) mode Inverters which can be operated in grid-tied or islanded (off-grid) mode, but where physical wiring connections with the grid exist (e.g. via the distribution board), are considered grid-tied SSEG systems and require municipal permission as described in this document.  This applies even if they are being operated in off-grid (islanded) mode.  Only where there is no physical wiring connection to the grid, direct or indirect, is it not considered an SSEG Regards

All the best.  My experience is that installers don't want to (those I contacted in COCT) do SSEG first before install.  They do install first then SSEG.  This contravenes the requirement.  I suspect they take short cuts and then don't register the system.  Then hide behind the " inefficiency"  of the municipality.  If installers are booked out for up to 2 months, why then not do the application first? Boggles the mind. 

On 2023/03/14 at 11:10 AM, AndrewJdc said:

All the best.  My experience is that installers don't want to (those I contacted in COCT) do SSEG first before install.  They do install first then SSEG.  This contravenes the requirement.  I suspect they take short cuts and then don't register the system.  Then hide behind the " inefficiency"  of the municipality.  If installers are booked out for up to 2 months, why then not do the application first? Boggles the mind. 

I suppose there's cost and time linked to the SSEG application which the Client might not want to pay.

There is no cost to the SSEG application itself, however, the requirements to complete the SSEG include engineer approvals, diagrams, component specs, etc. which require time and effort. Some installers may not have the capacity or inclination to do this on behalf of the client. At the end of the day the onus is on the client to ensure that it is done and will cost the client no matter who does it.