Civil society anticorruption lobby organisation the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) welcomes State-owned power utility Eskom’s decision to ease red tape around the registration of residential solar and battery energy systems.

The organisation says this is a long-overdue step toward less onerous conditions for the registration process required by Eskom.

The previous requirement to have a qualified electrical engineer conduct the approval and sign-off of residential small-scale embedded generation (SSEG) installations was unnecessary, Outa avers.

The certificate of compliance (CoC) regulatory and compliance framework of the Occupational Health and Safety Act sufficiently covers the safety issues, and Eskom’s change to the regulation and registration requirements have now concurred with this view, it says.

The electrical installation regulations, which make reference to South African National Standard (SANS) 10142-1, are the mandatory South African national standard for the safe wiring of low-voltage electrical installations, also known as the Wiring Code.

Under the new rules, from October 1, Eskom allows qualified and accredited electricians registered with the Department of Employment and Labour to sign-off residential systems under the existing CoC framework in the Occupational Health and Safety Act and SANS 10142-1 Wiring Code.

However, this applies to Eskom’s direct customers and municipalities have their own policies, Outa notes.

Further, while this is a step forward, some details still require further clarity from Eskom, such as whether these changes in registration and compliance requirements apply only to residential SSEG installations or to all low-voltage residential, commercial and agricultural SSEG installations less than 100 kW.

“Outa has held constructive engagements with Eskom management on these matters, as well as other aspects of its SSEG registration and compliance processes.

“These engagements are ongoing and, in Eskom’s views expressed with Outa, the conditions and regulations being introduced are an evolutionary process to develop an efficient energy eco-system that benefits the economy as a whole, including consumers.

“Accordingly, Outa anticipates that further amendments to Eskom’s registration conditions may follow, depending on how Eskom addresses the matters Outa has raised,” it adds.

“The more we engage effectively with each other, the more these processes evolve for the benefit of electricity customers and the public, says Outa CEO Wayne Duvenage.

“Eskom’s willingness to listen reflects a more mature and inclusive approach, which differs from its hard-headed stance of the past,” he adds.

Further, these changes come at a critical time, with Eskom’s moratorium until March 31, 2026, on certain registration and compliance requirements for existing and new solar PV, battery storage and other SSEG systems less than 100 kW, he notes.

Outa continues to advocate for regulatory, registration and compliance processes that are rational, affordable and practical, ensuring both safety and fairness for consumers adopting renewable-energy solutions.