Residents and businesses in Cape Town wanting to instal solar PV panels can now apply online, streamlining the authorisation process.

Engineering News reports that the City of Cape Town has launched its online Energy Services Application portal, where users can apply for permission to instal a PV system, track the progress of their application and receive approval – in less time.

PV systems require authorisation as a safety measure because inferior, unauthorised PV systems have been known to cause fires and energy outages.

‘The new Energy Services Application portal will automate the issuing of permission-to-instal letters for certain types of applications, such as small residential solar PV and battery systems, vastly reducing turnaround times,’ according to Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis.

He says the city has also streamlined the process to get inverters onto the city-approved list, speeding up the verification of applications.

‘Incentivising widespread take-up of safe, grid-tied solar PV is a key part of Cape Town’s plans to lessen Eskom reliance and end load shedding over time,’ says the mayor.

‘The city is looking to buy as much excess solar power as residents and businesses are willing to sell via the Cash for Power programme, under which Capetonians can earn municipal bill credits and cash.’

19 March 2024
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