Homeowners and businesses with grid-tied solar installations must register their systems with Eskom by March 2026 or face penalties, including possible disconnection.
The power utility has intensified efforts to enforce compliance, warning that unregistered systems may be deemed illegal, as Daily Investor reports.
Energy expert Professor Vally Padayachee has confirmed that even registered solar users could soon face additional surcharges to help maintain the national grid infrastructure. Eskom argues that these measures are necessary to ensure grid stability, safety and fair cost distribution among all electricity consumers.
Mandatory registration and rising costsEskom's Small-Scale Embedded Generation SSEG programme requires all solar installations, whether feeding power back into the grid or not, to be officially documented. The utility has launched a campaign to encourage registrations before the 2026 deadline, emphasising that failure to comply could result in fines or forced disconnection.
Padayachee told eNCA that surcharges for solar users are inevitable. There will be a payment, and it will be for the upkeep of the grid and maintenance of distribution infrastructure by Eskom and municipalities , he said.