Eskom threatens households with solar panels with penalties

Eskom said all households and businesses with solar panels must register their installation or face significant fines.

This is part of Eskom’s broader effort to ensure compliance with national electricity regulations and maintain grid stability.

Eskom is running a campaign to get electricity customers to register their small-scale embedded solar installations by March 2026.

All households and businesses with rooftop solar have to register their installations, even if they don’t feed power into the grid.

Eskom warned South Africans that all solar installations must be registered with the utility or risk being deemed illegal.

The power utility highlighted that households and businesses that do not register their installations by the deadline will face penalties.

“If we find customers who have not registered their solar installations, we will penalise them with a fine of R6,052,” Eskom spokesperson Daphne Mokwena said.

Unregistered solar installations are viewed the same way as households or businesses which have tampered with electricity meters.

She added that the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) requires them to report unregistered installations.

Eskom said the registration process ensures that solar systems do not compromise the safety and reliability of the grid.

Eskom’s rules have been in place since 2019, and various awareness campaigns have been conducted to encourage compliance.

However, only about 1,300 customers have successfully registered their systems, leaving a significant number of unregistered installations across the country.

To register their systems, homeowners and businesses must hire a qualified engineer or technologist to certify compliance.

The homeowners and businesses will have to cover the costs of inspections and any necessary upgrades, such as installing smart meters.

Eskom did not provide the costs associated with the inspections. However, users reported that upgrades could run into tens of thousands of rands.