Solar, EV chargers and municipal registration

Not legal advice. This page summarises published municipal and industry sources as of 22 October 2026. Requirements change and differ between municipalities and Eskom supply areas. Always confirm with your supplier before installing.

EV chargers on their own

We searched for City Power (Johannesburg) and City of Cape Town requirements specific to installing a private EV charger and found none [1][3]. A charger on its own is an addition to your electrical installation and needs a Certificate of Compliance, but we found no separate municipal notification rule for it.

It’s different if the charger means upgrading your supply. In Cape Town, supply upgrades and new connections are applied for through the City’s e-Services, with the electrical contractor’s details [3][4]. Other municipalities and Eskom have their own processes.

For context, City Power has also started rolling out its own public chargers [2].

Adding solar to charge your EV

Many EV owners want to charge from rooftop solar. A grid-tied solar system is small-scale embedded generation (SSEG), and that’s where municipal rules come in.

Johannesburg (City Power). City Power has a revised six-step SSEG application with approvals before and after installation, and says no solar installation may proceed without prior authorisation [1].

Cape Town. SSEG applications go through the City’s e-Services [3][5]. The City publishes a list of approved inverters that meet the NRS 097-2-1 grid-connection specification, and inverters that aren’t on the list won’t be authorised [5][6].

Eskom supply areas. Eskom publishes its own embedded generator installation report form [10].

Other municipalities, including the City of Tshwane and eThekwini: we didn’t review their SSEG processes for this page. [Owner action: add local requirements once confirmed.]

An area under debate

SSEG registration is being publicly debated. In late 2025, the Association of Municipal Electricity Utilities (AMEU) published a position paper on SSEG, and OUTA challenged parts of it, including whether NRS specifications can be enforced on the public [7][8]. NERSA issued a clarification on SSEG registration requirements in February 2026 [9]. We haven’t been able to review the content of that clarification. Until things settle, follow your municipality’s published process.

What this means for you

• Charger only, no supply upgrade: you need a CoC for the new circuit. We found no separate municipal application for it [1][3].
• Supply upgrade: expect an application to your municipality or Eskom, and allow time for it.
• Adding solar: check your municipality’s SSEG process before installation. In Johannesburg, prior authorisation is required [1]. In Cape Town, choose an inverter from the approved list [6].
• Expect some change. The SSEG rules are under active discussion [7][9].

How StrataCharge helps

We design solar, battery and charger systems to work together, and we register your system with your municipality where required, including choosing equipment that meets its requirements. See our energy resilience solution, our site assessment service and our solar-ready home chargers.