Industry Think Tank - Registration of SSEG

[Dave A]

The Electrical Contractors Association (SA) is hosting an industry think tank session with the topic Navigating the Registration Requirements for Small-Scale Embedded Generation (SSEG) Installations

The online session will be on 3 October 2025 via Zoom - from 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM SAST

The program is as follows:

Time	Session Title & Presenter
10:00–10:15	Welcome & Introduction – Grant Seeman
10:15–10:30	SSEG Registration – Danie Esterhuizen
10:30–11:00	Municipality Requirements – Ismail Jefferies
11:00–11:20	Q&A
11:20–11:30	Break
11:30–12:00	Eskom Requirements – Silesh Mansingh
12:00–12:20	Q&A
12:20–12:30	Break
12:30–13:00	To Register or Not? – Nicolaas Faure
13:00–13:30	SSEG Sign-Off – Danie Esterhuizen
13:30–14:00	Q&A – Nicolaas Faure and Danie Esterhuizen

You can register for this free think tank session using this registration link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...SE-Yqp7EcsS9AQ

This forms part of a series of Industry Think Tank Sessions on SSEG that has been hosted by the ECA SA in an effort to expose and resolve the many questions and challenges faced by electrical contractors, homeowners and other stakeholders in the SSEG industry.

[Tradie]

This is the 3rd session, can we view session 1 and 2?

After going through the whole registration process (to do the right thing), paid the enigineer, submitted all the documents, we are waiting for the registration and told there are no meters and that we cannot feedabck into the grid.

The solar project has gone from a great idea with prospects of some form of ROI (due to the size and power producing capabilites) to a white elephant, which cost the customer a lot of money.

To add salt to the wound, parts are starting to fail (not just this site), the supplier has dumped the product and moved to another product, so now we are having to find the old packaging, to box the unit to send all the way back to JHB. One of the reasons I am reluctant to buy anything from the supplier in case they decide to dump the new kid on the block.

This could also expalin why we are now installing more generators than solar.

For R100k you can get a 20 kva single phase (95 amps), 1500 RPM diesel generator, that can run your house and your neighbours house for as long as there is diesel, come rain or shine.

Unless you are going to waste a ton of cash on roof tops full of solar, and batteries stacked to the roof, you still going to sit in the dark when you experience grid failures for days, or cloudy days.

[Tradie]

What did we take away from this think tank, the same tune is playing in ALL the online meetings, I have attended, with too little interaction and feedback from the attendees.

Something is going to go bang and the loser is going to be, as always, the public.

Eskom and the muncipalities are going to hammer the public, by implemanting, disconnections and hefty fines, and the public are going to cry not enough public awareness.

When it happens, best you have already left the indutry if you havent done everything by the book

[Derlyn]

Or better still, if you haven't up to now been too involved in the solar side of things.

Fortunately, I've been able to circumnavigate all the unsurities and frustrations by staying in my lane and passing on all solar enquiries to those who are more familiar with the requirements.

By the sounds of things, there aren't many who are familiar or sure of the requirements at present. I hear that OUTA are recommending that no one registers their domestic solar system. All very confusing.

[GCE]

This is the 3rd session, can we view session 1 and 2?

First session was on Batteries , I think and was available but about 6 hr session 2nd session was over installing solar on thatch not as long
Maybe Dave can find the links
I have to admit that Grant ran this session better than Anthony on previous occasions , in my opinion .
Maybe they finally got all the presenters together before hand and set the limits

[GCE]

Or better still, if you haven't up to now been too involved in the solar side of things.

Fortunately, I've been able to circumnavigate all the unsurities and frustrations by staying in my lane and passing on all solar enquiries to those who are more familiar with the requirements.

By the sounds of things, there aren't many who are familiar or sure of the requirements at present. I hear that OUTA are recommending that no one registers their domestic solar system. All very confusing.

In my opinion it is installers making the system confusing - Well so called installers - PE we have been registering systems since 2014 and I still hear so called installers advising against it due to perceived costs that they have no idea on.

As an example - My account on 12th Aug was R 354 - Kids and grandkids where here using excessive amounts of hot water - They went back on 12th and by 31st Aug my account was R305 - The amounts are on the municipal billing system that is live , when they pay data , so easy to follow what is happening.
My average qty of units used is around 900 Kwh per month - with extended family it went to 1300 KWH - My account for Sep is at R205
On prepaid with solar I would be at around R700 , without solar at R 4K

[Tradie]

Anyone with an understading of supplies and grid arrangements, understands why registration is a critical part of the solar industry, however the lack of public awareness and 4 quadrant meters is making it difficult to encougare cusoters to register.

I prepare all the documents, issue the COC/test reports, application forms for registration and that way I CYA, then email everything with a notice informing the customer of thier responsibilty and move on to the next job.

Social media and the lack of public awaerrness is creating a huge challenge for everyone, including Escom and the Minicipalities.

Reading comments on social media... the general thought is, if there are no meters available why register?

Create public awareness,

Offer some form of reward for registration, and make people want to register and it will happen.

Threaten the public and I am sure this will drag out for years.

Find people who have the knowledge, the skill and the experitise to be interviewed to present to the public and the process could go a lot smoother.

For the record, you have to understand and design a sytem as per your requirements, a stage 6 load shedding solution will ceretainly not reduce you monthly utilty bill, unless it was designed to for laod shedding and saving money.

Too many unskilled installers dealing with customers with small budgets expecting huge returns, creating an illusion that cannot be achieved, its that simple.

Get the budget, skills, design and metering right and you will achieve massive savings, it is that simple.

[Tradie]

The kind of challenges we deal with when it comes to registration,

The customer will buy a solar sytem that is designed for off grid applications, nor is it approved by local suppliers, you cannot register the system.

Installers who have installed more than 50 units, registered with an associasion, but dont have the skills to install a compliant solar installation, nor do they register or even provide the documents required to register.

Installers doing hit and run installations, for companies who only supply the equipment.

Finding people who know all the regualtions and requirements.

It is going to be a learning curve for the next couple of years, so for now I am sure people will keep stepping on and off the train.