More and more Johannesburg homeowners are adding solar panels and a home battery, and it's easy to see why. The Highveld gets excellent sunshine, and a battery keeps your home running through outages. But going solar in Gauteng isn't quite the same as in Cape Town: the utility, the paperwork and the questions to ask your installer are a little different. Here's a straightforward guide for homes in Johannesburg, Sandton, Fourways, Randburg, Midrand and Pretoria.
Why Solar Works So Well in Johannesburg
Highveld sun gives excellent solar yields, which means a well-designed system can cover a big share of a household's daytime electricity. Add a battery and you can store that solar power for the evening, when most families use the most electricity, and keep the lights, Wi-Fi, fridge and security running when the grid goes down.
The key word is well-designed. The right number of panels, the right inverter size and the right 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.
Battery Backup: Tesla Powerwall 3 or Sigenergy
We install the same two premium systems in Gauteng as we do in Cape Town:
- 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 switches over instantly in an outage and can back up your whole home or just your essentials. You can add up to three Powerwall 3 Expansion units for more storage later. Tesla packages start from R180k including VAT, installation and certification.
- Sigenergy is modular and versatile, so it's easy to size for your home now and grow later. Sigenergy systems start from R100k.
Both are warranted for outdoor installation, both have rigorous battery fire-safety testing (UL 9540A), both 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. Not sure which suits you? Our Tesla Powerwall 3 vs Sigenergy comparison walks through the differences.
Registering Your System with City Power or Eskom
This is where Johannesburg differs most from Cape Town. Depending on where you live, your electricity comes from either City Power or Eskom, and any grid-tied or hybrid solar system has to be registered with the right one. City Power has said that all customers with solar PV connected to its grid are required to register their systems (ITWeb).
City Power's small-scale embedded generation (SSEG) process, as reported by The Citizen, works roughly like this:
- Complete an electricity supply application through the City to get a notification number.
- Submit the solar PV application with supporting documents, such as a single-line diagram, the inverter datasheet and NRS certificate, design drawings and a site layout.
- City Power reviews the application and can arrange a site inspection.
- The system is installed by a registered installer, then tested and commissioned.
- The Certificate of Compliance and PV commissioning form are submitted, and City Power issues its approval.
City Power has also said that new solar installations need a bi-directional (smart) meter, installed at the customer's expense, and that solar customers move to post-paid accounts (The Citizen). Rules can change, so it's worth checking the latest requirements with your installer before you start.
The good news: with MLT Power you don't have to deal with this on your own. Grid-tie registration with City Power or Eskom, the Certificate of Compliance and engineer sign-off are all included in our Johannesburg and Gauteng installations.
Questions to Ask Any Solar Installer in Gauteng
- Will you handle registration with City Power or Eskom? 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 Johannesburg Homeowners Choose MLT Power
MLT Power is a family business founded in 1986, 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, and we offer the same systems, certification and support in Gauteng as in Cape Town. See all the areas we serve or browse our home solar systems.
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.
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