Solar power system approval battle in South Africa

The Electrical Contractors Association of South Africa (Ecasa) has criticised Eskom and certain municipalities for requiring electrical engineers to test and approve small-scale embedded generation (SSEG).

The association — one of the country’s biggest representative bodies for qualified electricians — contends that this is unnecessary in ensuring legal and safe operation of grid-tied solar systems.

Eskom and several municipalities argue that electricians are not qualified to approve the DC wiring of grid-tied systems that run between the inverter, solar panels, and batteries.

They maintain that electricians can only issue certificates of compliance (CoCs) for the AC portion from the inverter to the distribution board.

According to their interpretation of the grid code, only electrical engineers registered by the Engineering Council of South Africa (Ecsa) can sign off on the DC side.

Ecasa national technical advisor Grant Seeman told MyBroadband that the association strongly opposes this view.

Seeman said that South Africa’s Electrical Installation Regulations (EIR) of 2009, allowed an Installation Electrician (IE) to work on any electrical installation, except for specialised or hazardous locations.

“Similarly, a Master Installation Electrician (MIE) is permitted to work on any installation, covering AC voltages up to 1,000 volts and DC installations up to 1,500 volts,” he said.

“There is little to no need for electrical engineers [in the SSEG approval process].”

Seeman said the EIR determined electricity distributors had the right to inspect installations and ensure compliance with the code, ensuring that installations meet relevant standards.

He called on authorities to step up and take responsibility for policing the industry using the existing regulations and standards.

One of the major issues that Ecasa has recently needed to address, in part due to lack of action by authorities, is fly-by-night installers claiming that the most junior level of electrician — single-phase testers (STPs) — can also carry out solar installations.

“If electricians receive support from Eskom, municipalities, and the industry, the confusion surrounding installations would be reduced,” Seeman said.

“This would allow electricians to concentrate on the quality of installations, leading to safer systems.”

Ecasa is also against the P4 industry-driven qualification developed by the Association of Renewable Energy Practitioners (Arep).

The P4 is an informal quality assurance programme that provides training and accreditation specifically for solar PV installations. However, it requires that electricians pay additional fees to Arep.

Saving consumers thousands

Seeman said allowing licenced IEs and MIEs to approve installations, including the DC portion, could significantly reduce costs, enhancing SSEG accessibility.

He said the cost of getting an engineer to test and approve SSEG systems varied based on location and complexity but typically ranged from “several thousand to tens of thousands of rand”.

He explained that many remote areas lacked sufficient engineers, and some were uninterested in this type of work or in travelling long distances.

“Additionally, some engineers don’t conduct site visits,” he said.

MyBroadband consulted two reputable solar power installers about the practices they followed.

One company said it sent a qualified professional engineer to test the system in person every time, while a licensed electrician issued the CoC for the AC portion of the system.

Another uses qualified electricians to carry out the entire installation and issue the CoC for the AC side.

They must then record a detailed video of the setup, which a registered engineer sitting in the company’s office must approve.

The engineer is also involved in designing the system to reduce the likelihood that the installation would not comply with the grid code.

However, Seeman argued that this type of split responsibility could cause problems with liability if a system misbehaves.

Splitting hairs over standards

Seeman also said that the long-awaited publication of the SANS 10142-1-2 standard — which was supposed to allow electricians to approve PV systems — was not a legal obstacle.

He explained that South Africa had already adopted the IEC 60349-7-712 standard in October 2017, which was converted to SANS 60364-7-712 for local purposes.

“This document is being assimilated into the next revision 10142-1 [the standard for low-voltage installations without embedded generation], bringing it under licensed electricians’ purview rather than engineers’,” said Seeman.

Seeman summarised the benefits of enabling properly qualified electricians to conduct installations as follows:

• Cost reduction — Allowing electricians to manage approvals could reduce installation costs, saving homeowners up to R20,000 or more, while also saving engineers time and travel costs.
• Increased efficiency — Electricians are more readily available than engineers, potentially expediting the approval process and easing bottlenecks.
• Local expertise utilisation — Employing local electricians can develop expertise and boost job growth within communities.
• Enhanced system adoption — Streamlined processes and lower costs might encourage more households to adopt SSEG systems, promoting energy efficiency and sustainability.