Solar Registration in South Africa: What Owners Need to Know in 2026

Recent headlines about Eskom, rooftop solar and possible fines have created understandable confusion for South African solar owners.

Has Eskom cancelled solar registration? Will customers be fined if they have not registered? And what happens if your electricity is supplied by a municipality rather than Eskom?

The short answer is: solar registration has not simply disappeared.

What has changed is Eskom’s message around penalties. The practical requirements also depend on who supplies electricity to your property.

Eskom’s current Small-Scale Embedded Generation (SSEG) guidance states that it has not fined customers simply for failing to register their systems. According to Eskom, fines issued have related to electricity theft or meter tampering rather than non-registration alone.

Eskom does, however, continue to require grid-connected SSEG systems on its network to be registered. Its guidance also states that an unauthorised grid-tied connection may be disconnected where safety risks remain.

Read Eskom’s current SSEG guidance.

So the recent clarification should not be interpreted as:

“You no longer need to register your solar system.”

It is more accurately understood as a clarification of how Eskom says it is dealing with non-registration and penalties.

If your account is directly with Eskom, follow Eskom’s SSEG requirements.

If your electricity is supplied by a municipality, the relevant municipality has its own connection and approval process.

This distinction is especially important for customers in George and across the Garden Route.

George Municipality’s published SSEG process requires an application through its online system before installation proceeds. The municipality assesses the proposed connection, and after installation requires documentation that includes the CoC, as-built diagram and commissioning information before the process is completed and a Permission to Generate letter is issued.

Read George Municipality’s published solar installation requirements.

The municipality also distinguishes between simply installing embedded generation and exporting electricity onto its network, with approved metering and tariff requirements applying where power is fed back into the municipal grid.

This is why an Eskom announcement should never automatically be treated as a George Municipality rule.

If you already have solar, or are planning an installation, confirm these five things:

1. Who is your electricity distributor? Eskom, George Municipality or another municipality?
2. Has the system followed that distributor’s current SSEG process?
3. Do you have a valid electrical CoC and the required system documentation?
4. Is the inverter and protection equipment appropriate for the grid connection?
5. If you export electricity, do you have the required approval, metering and tariff arrangement?

Keeping this documentation together is also useful when a property is sold, a system is expanded, equipment is replaced or future technical support is required.

More Than Solar. Powering Possibility.

This article provides general information and should not be interpreted as legal or regulatory advice. SSEG requirements can differ between electricity distributors and may change. Property owners should confirm the current requirements with Eskom or their relevant municipality.