The solar energy boom has brought tremendous opportunities for South African businesses and homeowners to reduce their electricity costs and carbon footprint.
By Teresa Kok, director at One Energy
However, beneath the surface of this green revolution lurks a dangerous trend that threatens both lives and livelihoods: fly-by-night solar installers who prioritise profits and quick wins over safety, compliance and long-term savings.
The Race to the Bottom
As solar technology has become more accessible and competition has intensified, a concerning number of installers have emerged who cut corners on critical safety and compliance requirements.
The problem isn’t just about poor workmanship or substandard components. These installers are systematically omitting essential safety features and regulatory requirements that protect solar users from electrical hazards, fires, and legal complications.
Critical Safety Omissions
Professional solar installations require comprehensive protection systems on both the alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) sides of the system. Rogue installers frequently skip these components to reduce costs, leaving systems vulnerable to electrical faults that can cause fires, electrocution, and equipment damage.
Proper solar installations require specialised DC-rated cables that can withstand outdoor conditions, UV exposure, and high voltages for decades. Quality installations also demand weatherproof connections and appropriate cable management.
Cut-rate installers often use cheaper, inappropriate cables or make poor connections that degrade over time, creating fire hazards and system failures. Loose connections are particularly dangerous, as they can generate heat and sparks that ignite surrounding materials.
Electrical earthing (grounding) systems are also crucial for safety, providing a path for fault currents and protecting against electrical shock. Professional installations require proper earthing of all metallic components, including panel frames, mounting structures, and conduits.
We regularly see fly-by-night operators frequently neglect earthing requirements in a bid to cut costs, leaving property owners exposed to potentially fatal electrical hazards during system faults or lightning strikes.
The SSEG Compliance Crisis
South Africa’s Small-Scale Embedded Generation (SSEG) regulations require that all grid-tied solar systems be registered with local municipalities or Eskom (if a direct client) and comply with specific technical standards. This process ensures that installations meet safety requirements and don’t compromise grid stability.
A key requirement for SSEG registration is the use of inverters that comply with South African National Standard (SANS) requirements and are listed on the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS) database. However, many discount installers use cheaper, non-approved inverters that cannot legally be connected to the grid. This creates several serious problems:
- Registration rejection: Municipalities (or Eskom) will refuse SSEG applications for systems with non-compliant equipment
- Legal liability: Operating non-compliant systems may violate municipal bylaws and electrical regulations
- Insurance issues: Insurance companies may refuse claims related to non-compliant installations
- Grid instability: Non-compliant inverters can cause voltage fluctuations and other grid disturbances
SSEG applications also require comprehensive documentation, including Electrical compliance certificates, detailed system specifications, equipment compliance certificates aligned to the NRS standards and structural engineering assessments for large roof-mounted systems.
Fly-by-nights cannot provide this documentation because their work doesn’t meet the required standards, or they lack the qualifications to certify their installations properly.
For solar installations 100kW and above, South Africa’s regulatory framework requires a more rigorous pre-approval process that involves both local municipal authorities and the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA). This dual-approval system exists because larger installations have greater potential to impact grid stability and local electrical infrastructure.
Crucially, this process often requires increasing the Notified Maximum Demand (NMD) and upgrading the electrical supply infrastructure to the premises, as regulations typically mandate that any solar installation should not exceed 75% of the total electrical supply. This 75% limit serves as a safety buffer to prevent over-generation scenarios that could cause voltage fluctuations, equipment damage, or grid instability.
Without proper pre-approval and supply upgrades where needed, commercial installations risk rejection by authorities, costly retrofitting, or dangerous operational scenarios that could compromise both the client’s electrical system and the broader grid network.
Councils will also remove the electricity connection entirely from the premises due to the risk to the grid, and further levy hefty fines and reconnection costs. And if there is no additional supply capacity available to increase the NMD, the solar owner may very well be sitting with an oversized, illegal system that may not be connected to the grid at any stage.
The Real Costs of Cheap, Unqualified Installations
While discount installers may offer attractive upfront pricing, the true cost of their shortcuts are onerous and a serious liability, from fire and electrocution risks, legal consequences, financial losses when property owners must pay for system redesign and reinstallation to achieve compliance and engage qualified professionals to certify corrective work, the potential for repudiated insurance claims related to system failures, system performance issues and a lack of proper maintenance and support.
Protecting Yourself: Red Flags to Watch
If you’re considering solar installation you should be alert to warning signs of potentially dangerous, unqualified installers.
- Pricing Red Flags include quotes significantly below market rates, reluctance to provide detailed breakdowns of components and costs, pressure for immediate decisions and vague or missing warranty terms and provision of qualifications of the installers. Be especially wary of online deals/stores and making online upfront payments and where there is no verified physical presence of the provider.
- Technical Red Flags include an inability to explain SSEG compliance requirements or advising that it is not required – SSEG registration of all grid-tied solar installations is mandatory, offering non-NRS approved equipment, no mention or detail of the required protection systems, lack of proper electrical certification or qualifications and unwillingness to provide system documentation.
- Business Practice Red Flags include no fixed business address or established local presence, no established track record, lack of professional insurance coverage and tax compliance, no references from previous and vetted customers and high-pressure sales tactics. It is a non-negotiable that the installer you work with conducts a physical site assessment and proper electricity usage monitoring ahead of any proposal being accepted.
The transition to solar energy represents a crucial opportunity for South Africa to build a more sustainable and resilient energy future. However, this transition must be built on a foundation of safety, compliance, and professional excellence.
Property owners must resist the temptation of cheap pricing and instead invest in qualified installers who prioritise safety and compliance. The few thousand rand saved on a discount installation pale in comparison to the potential costs of fires, legal issues, and system failures.
The choice is clear: invest in quality, compliant installations that protect both your investment and your safety, or risk becoming another cautionary tale about the hidden costs of cheap solar installations. Your safety and your financial security depend on making the right choice.