State-owned power utility Eskom has extended the waiver of the registration fees for small-scale embedded generation (SSEG) systems, such as rooftop solar power installations, for a further six months to end September 2026.

All registration and connection fees – up to R10 000 for urban or residential customers and up to R36 000 for rural customers – are waived until September 30, 2026, for Eskom customers' SSEG systems up to 50 kW.

With the registration fees waived, customers only need to submit a certificate of compliance, an inverter test certificate and an installation test report to register their SSEG systems.

Eskom says the aim of the registration drive is to ensure that systems of up to 50 kW are connected safely, responsibly and in line with national requirements.

The utility is also testing a new prepaid option for residential customers who wish to install a rooftop solar system while remaining on prepaid metering. Once this prepaid option is available, customers may retain their existing setup or, where required, have a free smart meter installed, and still qualify for the cost waiver for systems of up to 50 kW.

This prepaid option is currently being tested, with the aim to continue with broader rollout once initial implementation requirements are confirmed, Eskom says.

In a February 2026 statement, the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) said that a certificate of compliance for electrical work done confirms that a rooftop solar system or other SSEG installation meets electrical safety standards, but that registration is needed to ensure these systems are connected in a way that protects the national grid.

Registration helps to ensure these installations are known, connected safely and integrated responsibly into the electricity network, Eskom says.

All SSEG systems below 100 kW and connected to the electricity network, including grid-tied rooftop solar systems, must be registered with the electricity supplier, which is either Eskom or the local municipality.

“We recognise the important role customers play in South Africa’s energy transition. Our goal is to ensure installations are safe, compliant and aligned with protecting the national grid,” says Eskom acting group executive for distribution Agnes Mlambo.

Rooftop solar adoption continues to grow and more households and businesses are choosing to install SSEG systems. Eskom remains committed to supporting South Africa’s transition to cleaner energy and helping customers to connect these systems safely, she says.

Nersa also emphasised in its statement that registration is not intended to discourage people from installing solar.

Meanwhile, civil society organisation Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) says that this policy to register SSEG systems below 50 kW still misses the mark.

“South Africans who have invested in solar are acting responsibly in the face of an unreliable power supply. If their systems are safely installed and backed by a valid certificate of compliance, there is no legal or safety justification for forcing additional registration,” says OUTA CEO Wayne Duvenage.

The organisation says the extension may ease immediate pressure on households, but does not address the core issue that registration remains unnecessary.

Adding layers of administrative process without clear legal grounding creates confusion, increases costs, and places a burden on residents and small businesses who are already carrying the cost of energy insecurity, it says.

Eskom should be enabling this shift by encouraging safe, compliant private generation, not complicating it, states Duvenhage.

“We urge Eskom to focus instead on ensuring grid stability, improving transparency and supporting practical solutions that work for consumers. South Africans are stepping up. Policy should not hold them back,” he says.