SSEG approval: registering your solar system

If your solar or battery system is connected to the grid, it must be registered with your electricity supplier. This guide explains what small-scale embedded generation (SSEG) registration is, who needs it, and what the process looks like in Johannesburg, Tshwane and areas supplied directly by Eskom.

What SSEG means and who needs to register

An embedded generator is any generator connected inside your property’s electrical installation, such as solar panels with an inverter, or a battery system with a grid-interactive inverter. NERSA clarified the national position in February 2026 [1]:

• The requirement to register depends on whether the installation has a point of connection to the grid and on its installed capacity. It does not depend on whether you export power.
• Facilities of 100 kW or less with a grid connection must register with the relevant supplier: Eskom or the licensed municipality.
• Facilities of more than 100 kW with a grid connection must register directly with NERSA.
• Systems with no point of connection to the grid are exempt from registration.

In other words, a zero-export home system that can run in parallel with the grid still needs to be registered. Only a fully off-grid system, with no connection to the grid at all, falls outside this.

The Certificate of Compliance

A Certificate of Compliance (CoC) confirms that the electrical installation meets the wiring code, SANS 10142-1. NERSA points out that a CoC and registration serve different purposes: the CoC is about electrical safety, and registration lets the supplier plan and protect its network [1]. You need both. Each of the processes below asks for a CoC.

Inverter standards

All three suppliers require the inverter to meet NRS 097-2-1, the South African standard for connecting small generators to the grid, with a type-test certificate for the exact model [3][5][7]. This covers protection functions such as anti-islanding, which stops the system feeding power into a grid that is down. Ask your installer for the certificate before you buy.

City Power (Johannesburg)

City Power states that SSEG solar PV projects must be approved before installation. The published steps are [2][3]:

1. Apply for an electricity supply notification number, which links your application to City Power’s SSEG department.
2. Submit the solar PV application with the supporting documents.
3. Larger systems (above 350 kVA) need a grid impact study.
4. Install, using a registered contractor, once approved.
5. Test and commission the system.
6. Submit the CoC and the PV commissioning form.
7. Receive the final approval letter.

The documents listed include a single-line diagram, the inverter datasheet and NRS certificate, design drawings, a site plan and a maintenance procedure [3]. City Power has said it enforces two existing rules strictly: the CoC must come with proof of the contractor’s registration with the Department of Labour, and applicants may not sign on behalf of an ECSA-registered person or wireman’s licence holder [2]. City Power’s SSEG contact is jozipvpower@citypower.co.za, and its call centre is 011 490 7484 [3][9].

City of Tshwane

Tshwane requires registration of embedded generation on its database, and feeding power back to the grid is only allowed for registered customers with an approved bidirectional meter [4]. The City’s application form asks for, among other things [5]:

• a detailed circuit diagram, and a site plan for commercial and industrial sites;
• the inverter’s NRS 097-2-1 type-test certificate and test report from an accredited third-party test house;
• a CoC for the existing installation;
• a control philosophy: a short statement of what happens when power is normal, when it fails and when it returns.

The form states that sign-off of the commissioning report by an ECSA-registered professional is mandatory. Registration enquiries go to sseg@tshwane.gov.za [4].

Eskom-supplied areas

If Eskom supplies you directly rather than a municipality, Eskom must approve any system before it is synchronised with its network, whether or not you export. Only standalone systems that never run in parallel with the grid are excluded, and Eskom asks for a declaration for those [6]. Key points from Eskom’s process [6][7][8]:

• You apply online or through the contact centre (08600 37566), then upload your compliance documents.
• For a formal connection, you must be on a time-of-use tariff (Homeflex for residential customers, Ruraflex for rural customers). The tariff change and SSEG application can run at the same time.
• For systems above 100 kW, NERSA registration must be in place before Eskom allows the connection.
• Eskom’s form also requires a main switch and a dedicated point of isolation for the generator, a single-line diagram at the meter or main board, and an Embedded Generation Installation compliance test report signed by a professionally registered person.

Feeding power back to the grid

Exporting surplus solar power is a separate permission. In Tshwane it needs approval and a registered bidirectional meter [4]. City Power says it advises on export as part of its application process [3]. Either way, registration is required for any grid-connected system, whether or not it exports [1].

How Orilla Solar handles it

For new installations, the CoC and registration are part of our installation. For existing systems that were never registered, our maintenance team can inspect the system and help bring it into line. See home solar, commercial solar and farm solar for the systems we install.