Important information about Eskom going after people with solar panels on their roofs

Energy expert Chris Yelland has questioned the legality of Eskom and some municipal power distributors’ requirement that ECSA-accredited personnel sign off on grid-tied solar power systems.

Eskom has intensified its campaign to register all grid-tied solar power systems on its network in recent months.

The power utility has explained that it requires all its customers with grid-tied solar power systems to register, regardless of whether they feed back into the grid.

“Grid-connected machines change the power flow on the Eskom network,” the power utility explains on its SSEG information website.

“If the operators do not know the existence of the generators, this poses a safety risk even with a carefully controlled operations process.”

The power utility deems any grid-tied SSEG connection installed without its permission to be unauthorised.

The main issue with Eskom’s actions is that many customers now find themselves needing to pay far more to make their system compliant with its criteria, despite having electrical certificates of compliance (CoCs).

AfriForum recently sent a legal letter to Eskom demanding that the power utility provide the relevant legislation requiring the registration of small-scale embedded generation systems.

Several solar power users who are critical of Eskom’s requirements have also pointed out that the legislation does not require any household solar systems to get a licence.

The latest Electricity Regulation Act exempts all private power systems from licensing with the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa).

However, people with systems that have over 100kW of capacity must only be registered with Nersa. Those with capacities under 100kW — which is likely to include most, if not all, residential systems — do not need to register with Nersa.

However, generation facilities with an existing Point of Connection to the grid must be registered with the relevant power distributor.

The distributor can also prescribe the conditions relating to the continued use of the Point of Connection.

On its SSEG information page, Eskom said the following standards are applicable to its solar power system registration regime:

• Eskom 240-61268576 / DST 34-1765: Standard for the interconnection of embedded generation Part 2: Small-scale embedded generation Section 1: Utility interface.
• National Rationalised Specifications (NRS) 097-2-3 Grid Interconnection of Embedded Generation Part 2: Small-scale embedded generation Section 2: Simplified utility connection criteria for low-voltage connected generators.
• South African Distribution Code
• SANS 10142-1 & SANS 10142-1-2
• Occupational Health and Safety Act, (Act 85 of 1993) and requirement for a COC.
  Operating Guideline for LV networks with Embedded Generation (Unique ID: 240-81732810) and The Dead-Grid Safety lock specification minimum safety requirements for LV connected PV Embedded Generators (Unique ID: 240-126260252) are no longer a compulsory Eskom requirement.

The power utility also explained that it uses the “established” embedded generation (EG) report as an interim solution to include the compliance of SSEG installations until the SANS 10142-1-2 standard is published.

According to Eskom, it is a “statutory requirement” that a qualified and registered engineer or engineering technician sign off on embedded generation systems until the standard is published.

Depending on where a customer is located, engineers can charge anywhere from R10,000 to more than R20,000 to design, test, and sign off on a system.

The problem is that this standard has been completely abandoned, so Eskom is misleading the public by implying its rules are in effect.

Standard no longer in the pipeline — and Eskom rule not law

Yelland explained to MyBroadband that the requirement that a registered member of the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) approve the system is part of NRS 097-2-3.

“An NRS standard is an Eskom and municipal standard, it is not a South African national standard,” Yelland said.

“I question whether that is even legal because Eskom is not allowed to pass mandatory standards. It can make voluntary standards, but I don’t know if it’s legal.”

Yelland pointed out that no SANS or NRS standards determined the actual laws around electrical installations.

The legal requirements are set out in South Africa’s Electrical Installation Regulations.

These currently only require that an electrician or electrical contractor registered with the Department of Labour issue a CoC for an installation, which includes covering embedded generation systems.

Yelland agreed with the Electrical Contractors Association of South Africa (Ecasa), who previously told MyBroadband that using an ECSA-registered person for embedded generation was unnecessary.

“According to the Electrical Installation Regulations 2009, an Installation Electrician (IE) can work on any electrical installation, except for specialised or hazardous locations,” Ecasa said.

“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.”

While not a requirement, Yelland and Ecasa have explained that a standard already existed to enable qualified electricians to approve embedded generation systems.

South Africa had already adopted the IEC 60349-7-712 standard — renamed SANS 60364-7-712 — to address the necessary technicalities and appropriate safety standards on solar PV system installations.

Yelland believes that Eskom has overstepped the mark by putting this requirement in the NRS and will be required to take it out.

“Things will go back to what exists at the moment, which is that the system has to be signed off with a CoC issued by a registered electrician or electrical contractor,” he said.