Registering your solar panels in Cape Town

If you plan to have solar panels installed at your address, you will need to register the solar panels with the City of Cape Town. This is a mandatory permit that gives you registration as a solar power generation site. Without that permit - which is checked against aerial photographs - unauthorised solar panels will be rendered inoperative. Moreover, you will then have to pay service charges. Find out more about solar panel registration in Cape Town.

Residential

Solar system registration

The permit procedure for a site with solar panels applies to two types of systems:

Small-scale embedded generation system (SSEG) with a capacity of 1 megavolt ampere (MVA);
Embedded generation (EG) systems with a capacity of more than 1 MVA and less than 100 MVA.

The systems are placed within Cape Town’s electricity service area. Registration of an EC system is free of charge. If your system is not registered on time, you may be charged a penalty. Grid engineering studies will be done by the City for the proposed PV installation should these be required, the City of Cape Town said.

If you are in Eskom’s area of supply, you need to apply to Eskom for consent to connect the EG to the electrical grid.

To apply for SSEG authorisation you need to complete the Application for Connection of Embedded Generation form below.

Commercial solar installation
Installing a solar power system larger than 100 MVA requires registration with National Energy Regulator (NERSA). You must then also apply to the City of Cape Town for a permit for a generation site of such size. There may be alternative conditions beyond the usual requirements.

Solar system registration

More information

From October 2023

Fast and secure authorisation of solar systems

In an effort to make SSEG approvals faster and safer, from October 2023 all SSEG applications to the municipality will be treated as grid-connected systems. This is mainly to protect consumers – the users of solar panels – from unreliable suppliers It also means that all systems will need a municipality-approved inverter and professional approval to complete solar panel registration.

Currently, many systems using unapproved inverters are not wired correctly, posing risks to the security and integrity of the network and significantly slowing down the registration process. An approved inverter means faster authorisation. It also means that you can start generating and feeding back solar energy sooner, and in the end, of course, pay back your solar panel installation.

Authorisation for embedded generation systems

01.

Application for the Connection of Embedded Generation

The form requires technical information that your installer will be able to assist you with. Details of how to submit the form and supporting documents is included on each form. Email the completed form to the listed email addresses on the application form only. This is required for all types of EG including grid-tied, off-grid and standby systems and includes renewable energy and cogeneration arrangements.

02.

Assess of your registration

There will be an assess of your registration for authorisation. This may include a visit to your property to confirm that your meter and connection are able to support the EG. The visit does not typically require access to your property.

03.

Permission to Install Letter

Once all relevant information has been provided, you'll receive a Permission to Install Letter, allowing you to install your proposed EG system. It will state what you have registered for authorisation and outline the next steps, including which meter to install. You cannot install any PV generating equipment until you have received this letter.

04.

Submitting documents to the City

After you have installed and tested your EG, you will need to submit two types of documents to the City.

To submit the documents to the City, please visit this website.

Solar panels

Calculate your benefits with solar panels

Solar energy is sustainable, cost-effective and of interest to anyone with a suitable roof. Both private and commercial connections can be realised at Soly. In doing so, we pave the way for a new Cape Town: greener and more independent from the unreliable energy grid. At Soly we are happy to help you with making the first step to a brighter more energy independent future.

Would you like to calculate how much you can save with solar panels? Then use our Solarcheck to calculate the cost, yield and payback period of solar panels or request a no-obligation quote. We provide you with free insight into all solar solutions.

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