National News

By Austin Menzi Moyo Snr South Africa’s rapid expansion of rooftop solar is giving households and businesses greater control over their electricity supply, but it is also creating an important compliance question: does every solar installation have to be registered, and who must pay for it? The answer depends primarily on whether the system is connected to the electricity grid, its installed capacity and whether it has a point of connection to the grid. This is particularly important as Eskom’s current registration-fee relief for qualifying small solar installations is due to expire on 30 September 2026. Grid-connected and off-grid solar are treated differently A key clarification from the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) is that registration is not determined by whether a solar system actually exports electricity to the grid. Instead, the important questions are: Does the installation have a point of connection to the electricity grid? What is its installed generation capacity? NERSA confirmed in February 2026 that a grid-connected SSEG installation of 100 kW or less must be registered with the relevant electricity distributor — either Eskom or the licensed municipality supplying the property. Systems above 100 kW with a grid connection must be registered directly with NERSA. This means that a homeowner cannot avoid...