Hey I just wanted to make sure I did register my system with my local muncipality back on 2022 already.

I have received some certificate thing from them to prove it as well. Now seeing all these eskom postings also about registering is this another thing you need to fill in and compleate again for eskom separately or would the one from municipality be all that is necessary?

You need to register with whoever you receive electricity from. Which you have done. 

There is a lot of confusion. I belong to a Body Corporate which is ESKOM's customer. I am not a customer. The SSEG registration is for an existing ESKOM customer or a new ESKOM customer. The municipality in the area is no help.

 

Edited February 10, 20251 yr by TonyH
Typo

As I read the Eskom registration form, you only have to register if you are an eskom customer. I live in Pretoria and as I understand it I am not an Eskom customer, but a Tshwane customer. I have a CoC that was issued by a Tshwane approved electrical contractor.  I have, at this stage anyway, no intention off selling electricity back to the grid. Am I compliant?

 

9 hours ago, RookieRod said:

As I read the Eskom registration form, you only have to register if you are an eskom customer. I live in Pretoria and as I understand it I am not an Eskom customer, but a Tshwane customer. I have a CoC that was issued by a Tshwane approved electrical contractor.  I have, at this stage anyway, no intention off selling electricity back to the grid. Am I compliant?

 

The COC is not enough.

Compliance on the technical side comes down to a set of regulations published by a national body (SANS?). This is why everybody says their municipality is copying Cape Town. They're not really. They're just working from the same set of technical regulations as Cape Town do, IE the national regulations, and Cape Town are enforcing much more vigorously.

I can't give you a complete list off of my head but
1) Yes, you will need a COC that includes your PV installation.
2) Your system will have to be properly labelled. This is where my system was not compliant. Notably on your main DB and on the box where your municipal feed enters your property you will need signage warning electricians (Municipal or otherwise) that the property has two sources of power. I posted a picture of this signage somewhere on this forumn.
3) Your inverter must be on a list of approved inverters
4) Why the list? One of the things that was checked when my system was registered is that it does not push any voltage back onto the grid when grid supply goes down. And that it does not reconnect instantly when grid is restored. There must be a delay of at least (IIRC) 60 seconds. 

So compliance is mostly about a good installation and all the safety requirements being met. The timing of the reconnect when the grid comes back is about making sure that all the inverters don't instantly start demanding power. They must wait a little so that they don't contribute to a surge.

I am not selling electricity back, and told COJ that from the get go. That's not really the point (other than putting you on the correct tariff, which will vary from city to city). The point is that you have a system that can generate 230V AC and that is connected to their grid. 

17 minutes ago, Bobster. said:

I can't give you a complete list off of my head but

And there may be local requirements. EG in Johannesburg, if your system is rated at 350kVa or higher, a feasibilty study is required and will be undertaken at your cost.

This is why we now see engineering companies whose business is doing registration of PV systems. 

How much of an issue is it currently if your system is compliant in the sense that there is a CoC but it is not registered with Eskom?

I am based in Joburg and an Eskom direct customer... but I really do not want to register with Eskom until absolutely necessary as to me it feels like unnecessary extra costs and hassle.

I read a section of the act that requires registration, and it clearly states that off-grid systems are excluded. However, from what I’ve observed, municipalities and Eskom are exploiting this by enforcing the use of bi-directional meters, which they sell at exorbitant prices along with additional fees. Many people have reported registration costs ranging between R30,000 and R50,000—though this is circumstantial, and some may pay less.

If off-grid systems are indeed excluded and there is no intention of feeding back into the grid, why can’t we work around this by installing a smart changeover switch between the municipal supply and the installation?

This would ensure that the grid is never physically connected to the inverter through its wiring. Instead, the changeover switch would allow the installation to bypass the inverter and run directly from the grid when necessary.

With home automation, the switch could be controlled dynamically—e.g., when battery levels drop below 30%, it could switch to the grid. Manual overrides could also be controlled via a smartphone.

When the system is running on grid power, the solar and inverter would be entirely disconnected, meaning solar power would only be used to charge the batteries. This setup would eliminate any risk of accidentally feeding power back into the grid, ensuring safety during outages or maintenance.

Who fully understands the legalities of this? Can we investigate whether this setup would allow us to bypass Eskom’s excessive registration fees and restrictions on solar users?

1 hour ago, CT889 said:

I read a section of the act that requires registration, and it clearly states that off-grid systems are excluded.

Of grid means that you have absolutely no connection to the Grid (Eskom, Municipality etc) and completely stand alone.

All SSEG installations that operate alongside Eskom’s supply, even those not exporting power back into the grid, must be registered with Eskom or NERSA.

https://www.eskom.co.za/eskom-remains-committed-to-small-scale-embedded-generator-sseg-integration-solar-installations-up-to-50kw-may-qualify-for-an-exemption-from-legislated-registration-related-fees-until-march-2026/

But my question remains.  Am I a customer of Eskom?  I think I am a customer of Tshwane.

I still dont know and municipality can't (won't/ don't know/not bothered) help me.

From NERSA's website:

The following activities are exempt from the requirement to apply for and hold a licence under the Act, and these activities are not required to be registered with NERSA:
5.1 The operation of a generation facility with or without energy storage for the sole purpose of providing standby or backup electricity in the event of, and for no 
longer than, an electricity supply interruption (clause 2.2.1 of the Notice).

If NERSA was concerned about our safety, backup generators would have to be registered. They are probably concerned that you are getting energy at a cheaper rate than what Eskom can supply. Register, and I suspect they will tax your daylight. Civil disobedience may be our best defence.

I run my inverter off-grid.