Solar power

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All solar panels in Cape Town to be registered by 2019

Cape Town solar users: if you don’t register by February 2019 you can expect to be disconnected from the power grid, and forced to pay a hefty service fee.

Solar power

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The City of Cape Town has urged all households making using of solar photovoltaic (PV) installations to register with the municipality no later than 28 February 2019.

With Eskom’s ever-rising electricity tariffs, South Africans have been actively pursuing energy alternatives hoping to cut down on future costs and foster the power of self-reliance.

Residents of Cape Town have been particularly quick in turning to solar power as an energy alternative. While the city’s municipality does not actively prohibit the use of solar energy, it does want residents to register, thereby ensuring that installations conform to protocol.

The City of Cape Town released a statement on Tuesday, notifying residents of their obligation to be counted. The request extended to both homeowners and business operators.

According to Business Tech, the only solar energy device exempt from registration is solar water heaters.

Off-grid and on-grid solar connections

In the official statement by the City of Cape Town, it notes that all grid-tied and off-grid small-scale embedded generation (SSEG) systems be registered.

The City maintains that it is not attempting to stifle growth within the alternative energy sector, but rather trying to mitigate risk, saying:

“Connecting an SSEG system to the grid can pose a safety risk and, for this reason, the city must ensure that all generating equipment is approved and installed correctly.”

Solar power standards

Commenting on the regulations related to solar power installations, the city admits that national government standards have been vague and that it’s now the duty of local governments to enforce by-laws relating to alternative energy.

The official statement says:

“It has taken some time for South Africa to develop national standards to connect SSEG’s safely to the electricity grid. In the absence of national standards, the city has developed temporary standards to allow people to register for authorisation and connect safely.

Since 2010 all small-scale embedded generation systems must be registered with the city. With the finalisation of the national technical specifications, there is now growing clarity for the need for all SSEG owners to register their systems rather than obtain a generation licence from the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA).”

Still time to register solar

The City of Cape Town has offered a grace period for those connected to SSEG systems. This registration grace period ends on 28 February 2019.

Should solar systems not be registered, households are at a risk of being fined or having their grid-tied electricity shut off.

The statement clearly explains the consequences of non-compliance, saying:

“The supply of electricity to the property in question may be disconnected and will only be allowed to be reconnected once the city is satisfied that the SSEG system is either disconnected, decommissioned or authorised and that the service fee has been paid.”

Details regarding SSEG registration can be found here.