City of Tshwane Challenges Thread

Thank you. Yes SSEG information , tips and pitfalls would be helpful.

On what topics is this going to be on? Persuading people of the advantages of Solar power, batteries and Inverter, or how to get all this stuff properly registered to make it Legal? .. or something else?

23 minutes ago, mje said:

On what topics is this going to be on? Persuading people of the advantages of Solar power, batteries and Inverter, or how to get all this stuff properly registered to make it Legal? .. or something else?

Hi there.

I would like to create a database of knowledge that people of the public can follow and hopefully find answers to the questions regarding Tshwane.

Sincerely

Jason

Baie braaf!!!

1 hour ago, NoJ said:

Baie braaf!!!

:D Hah. What is Tswane up too?

Jay

Jason - Please do me a favour and check your web certificate.

My BitDefender complains that the certificate is invalid.
Then - I am in Pretoria. What's up?

20 minutes ago, RetiredDIY said:

Jason - Please do me a favour and check your web certificate.

My BitDefender complains that the certificate is invalid.
Then - I am in Pretoria. What's up?

Sure thanks for that. Let me check that now. May I ask you to share with us the challenges you are having in Tshwane?

Sincerely

Jay

Is it to early to ask questions?

1 minute ago, RookieRod said:

Is it to early to ask questions?

Go for it!

I live in a complex. It is a sectional title complex, and each unit pays rates and taxes to Tshwane.  The body corporate buys bulks electricity and water from Tshwane and then resells it to the property owners in the complex. So, I am not a customer of Tshwane.  But, by way of the complex electrical reticulation system and via Tshwane we are ultimately connected to the Eskom grid. 

As I understand it I am obliged to register my solar panels because  “all solar panel systems that are connected to the grid must be registered as Small-Scale Embedded Generation (SSEG) systems.”

When I had my solar electrical and hot water system installed, I got a “General Electrical Installation Certificate of Compliance” as issued by the Dept of Labour.  At my insistence this I had done by an Independent third-party electrical contractor.

When I contacted Tshwane about how to go about registering my solar panels, I was merely sent the “EG Application form.”  Here I hit a dead end on page one.  I do not have an electricity account with Tshwane.

Does anyone know what procedure to follow in these circumstances?

32 minutes ago, RookieRod said:

I live in a complex. It is a sectional title complex, and each unit pays rates and taxes to Tshwane.  The body corporate buys bulks electricity and water from Tshwane and then resells it to the property owners in the complex. So, I am not a customer of Tshwane.  But, by way of the complex electrical reticulation system and via Tshwane we are ultimately connected to the Eskom grid. 

As I understand it I am obliged to register my solar panels because  “all solar panel systems that are connected to the grid must be registered as Small-Scale Embedded Generation (SSEG) systems.”

When I had my solar electrical and hot water system installed, I got a “General Electrical Installation Certificate of Compliance” as issued by the Dept of Labour.  At my insistence this I had done by an Independent third-party electrical contractor.

When I contacted Tshwane about how to go about registering my solar panels, I was merely sent the “EG Application form.”  Here I hit a dead end on page one.  I do not have an electricity account with Tshwane.

Does anyone know what procedure to follow in these circumstances?

The process will vary from municipality to municipality, but there will be things that are common as well. This is because part of the application is to ensure compliance with the relevant national standards.

So you are going to need to provide a line drawing of your PV system showing how it connects to the AC supply and to your DB, and this will need to signed by a suitably qualified engineer. You are going to have to prove that your inverter is on the list of certified inverters.

I don't know about the procedure in Tshwane, but when I registered in Jo'burg the City came out and inspected, and the inspection included things like labeling on the DB and on the box which holds the main breaker (IE the point at which my property connects to the grid). They did conduct some tests. They did point to a couple of things on the line drawing and say "please show us this" - those questions directed at the installer and the engineer (or their represtantives), not at me.

So I don't think that the regular person can navigate the certification process by themselves unless they on good terms with somebody who does have the neccessary qualifications to sign off on the system.

There are companies that do SSEG registrations, and I would recommend that you deal with one of them. The guys I dealt with took care of the entire process. I spent zero time filling in forms and standing in queues. They prepared the required drawings, took care of getting the test certificate for the inverter, the whole tooty.

So I recommend taking that route. Get the right guys and they will charge you, yes, but they will also save you a whole load of hassle.

To the best of my knowledge, this is still the status in Tswhane: https://www.tshwane.gov.za/?p=70218

i.e. if you wanna feed power into the grid, then you need to be registered.

Otherwise be compliant with general reg regarding electrical installations (and use a reputable installer, and get that CoC ). For how things go in future.. who knows. BUT, I agree with above - it seems sensible to ensure your inverter is on the list of approved inverters (from CoCT list for example). And get that line drawing from the installer. Plus any other relevant info - keep it save.
It still seems sensible that when Tshwane one day starts actually enforcing etc, they will crib from other areas.

1 hour ago, demaniak said:

It still seems sensible that when Tshwane one day starts actually enforcing etc, they will crib from other areas.

There seem to be two aspects of registration with the various municipalities. One is local and is to do with tariffs and meters - the municipalities will differ here. The technical requirements are national, as is the list of inverters. They are required to pass certain tests. In this country we seem to piggyback on the EU test and certification process (the same is done for appliances). Municipalities don't test and approve inverters.

The COCT regulations are the famous ones (because they have been publicised and enforced) but technically they all derive from SANS.

My question is how will they be able to check for non-compliance?

Drones?

Site visits?

I get my electrical feed from Tshwane West (Fortsig): the meter reader wouldn't know what a solar panel is if he got hit by one.

How will Tshwane police rural connections?

52 minutes ago, Jakes Louw said:

My question is how will they be able to check for non-compliance?

Drones?

Site visits?

I get my electrical feed from Tshwane West (Fortsig): the meter reader wouldn't know what a solar panel is if he got hit by one.

How will Tshwane police rural connections?

Data need not be real time. Easy to check via Google to pinpoint the stand/plot/farm number. They can then month's later send out someone to start the crap.

CoCT have their open to the public pictures and then their own secure pics.

If there is a will there is a way 😀 to enforce selectively😁

When you install solar on a free standing property the provider will know - because your consumption will drop significantly. I was on pre-paid when solar was installed. Once my monthly purchase dropped off City Power noticed and sent out somebody to check my meter, that it was functioning correctly and connected correctly. They don't come out with an accusation but they just say they are checking your meter - which they have a right to do. If the meter is OK then this leads to a different question - why is your consumption down by such a lot?

Edited March 20, 20251 yr by Bobster.
clarity

Thanks. So I start again. Solar is not about saving money, but about having electricity 24/7/365. At my age I don't think I would ever get the return on my investment, BUT I will, I think, get my money back when I sell, and from what I've seen in the complex, be on top of the list when prospective buyers come to look at properties. The 24/7/365 electricity supply still remains the priority way above everything else.

44 minutes ago, RookieRod said:

At my age I don't think I would ever get the return on my investment,

If you use a lot of energy and can get credit for all energy generated, a solar system pays off within 6 years.

24/7/365 electricity requires a generator for backup purposes.

42 minutes ago, frivan said:

If you use a lot of energy and can get credit for all energy generated, a solar system pays off within 6 years. Not sure I got the time to wait that long. Birthdays happening quicker and quicker 🙂

24/7/365 electricity requires a generator for backup purposes.

Plugged that hole as well with a Honda EU3000iS. Right now, I'm trying to get the system registered with an unhelpful/ignorant of procedure/couldn't care/no rush Tshwane Bureaucracy

43 minutes ago, RookieRod said:

registered

Any indication of what the registration and compliance cost will be?

On 2025/03/22 at 2:10 PM, frivan said:

Any indication of what the registration and compliance cost will be?

Not a clue. I still don't know exactly what or how to register

On 2025/03/22 at 11:34 AM, RookieRod said:

Thanks. So I start again. Solar is not about saving money, but about having electricity 24/7/365. At my age I don't think I would ever get the return on my investment,

So you think the people in Europe that do install PV while they have power nearly 24/7/365 have it all wrong. We complain each time when Eskom asks for high increases think about them that saw power increasing in cost to 3 times than before the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Many a pensioner would like to stretch their income and try and save. My own saving system I had as my main system has paid itself 2 times over in less than 6 years. My back up was just much smaller in output using 3 inverters. Savings went into my current full hybrid system like most of our members.

A guy I had a long chat with brain storming systems installed his Synsynk to save as much as possible and got his money back in less than 3 yrs. Yes he will be adding a battery later.

Now with less load shedding we do see people asking "is it still worth installing a PV system?" and that while the cost is so much lower than 2 yrs ago.

I agree that there's still a good case for PV. I just worked out that at current tariffs our system is saving us nearly 10k a year, and our usage is on the low side.

Plus Eskom are not saying that load shedding is over. The cabinet minister in charge and the current CEO are not given to flamboyant statements, and they see an improvement but are cautioning we are not out of the woods. Winter is on its way now.

And the infrastructure in Johannesburg is not famous for ongoing renewal. My system kept the lights on all the way through stage 6,allowimg me to work uninterrupted from home. That's worth something.

One implication of Eskom cracking down on SSEG registration is that they're also gearing up for reselling of power.

Here in Johannesburg the first draft budget was leaked. This said about 13.5% per prepaid unit, and a R50 increase in the fixed fees. The City has now provisionally walked back on the flat fee increase and now says the increase on rates will be CPI, not CPI + 1 as in the draft. Well that's nice, but the city needs money, so something else is going to go up. With walk backs on the fixed fees, rates, and the current free 6kl of water per property per month, I see electricity going up a bit more.

There's still a case for PV. And I still see systems going in where I live, not as fast as a year ago, but some folks are still doing the sums and liking the answer.

3 hours ago, Scorp007 said:

So you think the people in Europe that do install PV while they have power nearly 24/7/365 have it all wrong. We complain each time when Eskom asks for high increases think about them that saw power increasing in cost to 3 times than before the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Yep! I have family in Spain.

Like many EU countries the electricity price varies according to time of day, and the price floats on a market. Usually doesn't move much from month to month, but the family saw their energy bill double in early 2020. And they are sensible with electricity. Don't leave lights on in unused rooms, run the washing machine & dishwasher on timers to take advantage of low rates at 2 in the morning. Etc.

They'd thought about grid-tied solar then didn't do it. It would have cushioned that blow. They could have run their appliances and heated their water in the middle of the day when there's abundant PV.