KEY POINTS
- Eskom has extended its waiver of registration-related charges for eligible residential solar systems of up to 50 kVA beyond September 30, 2026.
- Outa welcomed the extension but questioned the legal basis for compulsory registration of non-exporting household solar systems.
- Outa is urging Eskom to clarify registration requirements and advising customers to check for potential tariffs, meter upgrade costs and deposits.
South Africa’s state-owned electricity utility,
Eskom, has extended its waiver of registration-related charges for eligible customer-owned solar power installations connected directly to its distribution network, allowing households additional time to register their systems without incurring the usual fees.
The extension applies to qualifying residential solar installations with a capacity of up to 50 kVA and connected to Eskom’s distribution network. The waiver, which was initially scheduled to end on September 30, 2026, will remain in place beyond that date, although Eskom has not specified a new deadline.
The decision is intended to ease the financial and administrative burden on households investing in rooftop solar systems, while encouraging more customers to participate in electricity generation and the country’s broader energy transition.
Eskom said the extension would provide eligible direct residential customers with additional time to complete the registration process without paying the utility’s registration-related charges.
The utility maintains that registering customer-owned solar installations is essential to ensuring the safe, reliable and efficient operation of the electricity network, particularly as more households turn to alternative energy sources to reduce their dependence on conventional electricity supply.
Eskom Defends Registration as Essential for Grid Stability
Eskom said the registration of small-scale embedded generation (SSEG) systems is a standard practice in modern electricity markets, where the growing adoption of customer-owned electricity generation requires utilities to have accurate information about installations connected to their networks.
Junaid Munshi, Eskom’s distribution group executive, said the utility supports the expansion of residential solar power and greater participation by consumers in the energy transition.
He explained that Eskom had reviewed its approach to customer-owned electricity generation to align with international best practices, adding that registration was an important component of managing increasingly decentralised electricity systems.
According to Eskom, the registration process provides critical information about the location, capacity and technical specifications of solar installations connected to its distribution network.
This information enables the utility to improve electricity network planning, manage voltage fluctuations, protect distribution equipment and safeguard workers carrying out maintenance and other operations.
As more households install rooftop solar systems, Eskom believes that understanding the scale and distribution of customer-generated electricity is necessary to maintain grid stability and prevent technical complications.
The utility argues that registration allows it to account for the growing volume of electricity generated outside conventional power stations and better manage the interaction between household installations and the wider electricity network.
