Eskom wants residential solar systems registered, but what are the facts?
The requirement for households and businesses to register their solar power installations does not originate from Eskom. It stems from requirements laid down by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA), and these requirements have now become part of Eskom’s ‘Small-Scale Embedded Generation’ (SSEG) programme. Why the need for these new rules?
The performance and reliability of the grid as well as the safety of both employees and customers is critical, so any equipment connected to the grid needs to be carefully controlled. This includes the attachment of your Energy Storage System (solar panels, inverters and batteries) to your source of grid power, whether the inverter is capable of exporting power to the grid or not.
As a licensed electricity distributor, Eskom is required to ensure that all connections (both load and generation) comply with the required codes, standards and guidelines set out by NERSA, hence Eskom’s requirement that “all SSEG installations that operate alongside Eskom’s supply, even those not exporting power back into the grid, must be registered with Eskom.” Such requirements would necessarily be imposed on your municipal electricity provider – where applicable.
What will it cost?
For residential installations (up to 50kVA) Eskom is currently offering a free once-off registration service which includes a complimentary smart bidirectional meter. A 12-month grace period is also in effect to help you to get your system compliant.
Benefits
As a registered SSEG, a customer not only has the assurance that his installation is compliant, but that it can operate safely and has the potential to reduce energy costs by selling surplus energy to their provider.
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Copyright: New IT Power Projects, January 2026