Load-shedding has taught Cape Town homeowners a hard lesson: a house that depends entirely on the grid is only as reliable as the grid on the day. That's why more and more households are adding solar panels and a home battery. Solar cuts what you buy from the City, and a battery keeps your lights, Wi-Fi, fridge and security running when the power drops. Here's a straightforward guide to doing it properly in Cape Town.
Why Solar and Battery Backup Suit Cape Town
Cape Town gets long, sunny summers, which is when solar panels do their best work. A well-designed system can power much of your daytime usage straight from the roof, and a battery stores the surplus so you can use it in the evening, when most families use the most electricity.
The same battery is what keeps you comfortable during outages. When the grid goes down, a hybrid system switches to battery power and carries the circuits you've chosen to back up, either the whole home or just your essentials. The City of Cape Town has its own Going solar page, which includes a Load-shedding Resilience Guide with simple ways to protect your home.
The key word is well-designed. The right number of panels, inverter size and amount of storage all depend on how your home actually uses power. That's why we start with your latest electricity bill rather than a one-size-fits-all package.
Tesla Powerwall 3 or Sigenergy?
We install two premium battery systems in Cape Town. Both are warranted for outdoor installation, have rigorous battery fire-safety testing (UL 9540A) and carry a 10-year warranty, and both come with a swap-out warranty: a faulty unit is replaced with a new one rather than repaired.
- Tesla Powerwall 3 combines an 11 kW inverter and a 15 kWh battery (13.5 kWh usable) in one outdoor-rated unit. Paired with the Tesla Backup Gateway, it gives instant switch-over in outages and can back up your whole home or just your essentials. Tesla packages start from R180k.
- Sigenergy is modular, so it's easy to size for your home now and add to later, and its AI energy management runs the system for you. Sigenergy packages start from R100k.
Our indicative package prices include VAT, installation, certification and council registration. Which one is right depends on your home, your budget and how much backup you want. Our Tesla Powerwall 3 vs Sigenergy comparison walks through the differences, and you can see the full range of home solar systems on our residential page.
Registering Your System with the City of Cape Town
Before a solar or battery system can be switched on, it has to be authorised by the City. According to the City, all solar PV systems installed in its electricity supply area must be registered, and since 1 October 2023 all new solar PV and battery applications are treated as grid-tied systems. They must use a City-approved inverter, have professional sign-off and be authorised before switching on.
In short, the process works like this (see the City's application page for the official detail):
- Apply online through the City's Energy Services platform on e-Services.
- Receive a Permission to Install (PTI) letter, then install the system. It can't be switched on yet.
- Upload the Certificate of Compliance and have the ECSA-registered professional sign off the commissioning report.
- Receive the City's Commissioning Letter. Only then can the system be switched on.
We explain each step, and what happens if a system isn't registered, in our guide Registering Solar in Cape Town: A Simple Guide to SSEG Approval.
The good news is that you don't have to deal with it yourself. With MLT Power, SSEG council approval, the Certificate of Compliance and engineer sign-off are included in every home solar system we install, and our team applies for and tracks the application for you. See our installer pages for the Southern Suburbs, or browse all the areas we serve.
Questions to Ask Any Cape Town Solar Installer
- Will you handle SSEG registration with the City? If not, you could end up with a system that isn't approved.
- Who signs off the system? Look for a Certificate of Compliance and engineer sign-off as part of the price.
- What happens if something goes wrong? Ask about warranties, swap-out cover and remote support.
- Are you insured and licensed? MLT Power carries R20m+ public liability insurance and a registered electrical licence.
- Is the price fixed? A clear, fixed-price quote helps you compare like with like.
Why Cape Town Homeowners Choose MLT Power
MLT Power is a family business founded in 1986, based in Claremont, with more than 1,000 installations and a 4.9-star Google rating from 143 reviews. We're a Tesla Premium Installer, South Africa's first installer of the full Tesla range, and a Sigenergy Certified Installer.
Ready to see what solar and battery backup would look like for your home? Send us your latest electricity bill or call 087 943 2299 for a free, fixed-price quote.
Ready to go solar?
Send us your latest electricity bill and we'll design a system and fixed price for your home or business.