South Africans with rooftop solar systems have fewer than three weeks to take advantage of Eskom's current waiver of registration and connection fees.
The power supplier announced in March that the waiver, which was originally set to end on 31 March 2026, has been extended to 30 September 2026. This means Eskom customers with small-scale embedded generation systems (SSEG), such as rooftop solar, have until the end of September to register their systems without paying the applicable registration and connection fees. According to Eskom, the waiver applies to systems of up to 50 kVA and includes registration and connection fees as well as meter costs. Residential and urban customers can save up to R10 000 according to Eskom, while the benefit for rural customers can be up to R36 000. Eskom's current SSEG information confirms that households and small businesses with systems under 100 kVA must register their installations with the network operator, even if they do not export excess electricity to the network. A system that is completely off Eskom's network does not need to be registered, but the customer must provide proof that it is fully independent of Eskom's supply.
To register a qualifying system, customers need, among other things, a valid certificate of compliance (CoC), an NRS097-2-1-type test certificate for the inverter and a basic embedded generation installation test report. Eskom has simplified the process to make compliance easier and more affordable. Eskom said the measure is aimed at ensuring that solar systems are safely and properly connected to the network in accordance with national requirements. The power supplier also said it is testing a new prepaid option for residential customers who want to keep their existing prepaid meter.
Sources: Eskom
This article is an automatic English translation of a Nuusflits article originally published in Afrikaans. Read the Afrikaans original.
