Must every solar system be registered as SSEG?

A grid-tied system must be, whether or not it exports, because it synchronises with the network. A fully off-grid system that never connects to the grid supply generally does not, though the electrical work still needs a certificate of compliance.

The South African specification for connecting small-scale embedded generators to the low voltage network. Operators build their approved inverter lists from it, and an inverter not on the list of the operator that supplies the property will not be accepted.

Who applies, the homeowner or the installer?

The electricity account holder is the applicant, but the installer usually completes the application because the certificate, diagram, inverter details and commissioning report are all theirs. Many installers include it in the installation package.

SSEG (small-scale embedded generation)

Small-scale embedded generation, SSEG, is a generator connected on the customer's side of the meter to the low voltage distribution network, in practice a rooftop solar system with a grid-tied inverter. It must be registered with the network operator that supplies the property, a municipality or Eskom, using an inverter approved under NRS 097-2-1 and an electrical certificate of compliance.

Who you register with

Registration is with whoever supplies the property: the municipality where it distributes its own electricity, such as the City of Cape Town, otherwise Eskom. Each operator has its own form, approved inverter list and tariff for customers who generate, and the requirements differ.

What the application needs

An electrical certificate of compliance from a registered person, an inverter on the operator's approved list under NRS 097-2-1, a single-line diagram, the installer's details and a commissioning report. Some operators require an engineer's sign-off above a size threshold. Fees and cut-off dates change and should be taken from the operator's own page.

The installer's file

The homeowner applies but the installer produces nearly every document, and a query arrives months later. Omni Field keeps the certificate, diagram, inverter serials, commissioning report and photographs on one job card per site, and records the installed system as an asset with its own service history.

Common questions

See it in the product

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