Municipalities and solar, what is going on?

Benedict A55h0le said:
This clearly stated it is an admin fee for solar feed-in.

Please provide proof that this new levy is not for Eskom`s failures...

Nope you can can`t, because this is the truth. This is a new levy to offset losses from Eskom`s failures. It was never needed before, only now when Eskom got properly fvcked.

They ANC do appreciate your gullibleness though. Good froggy getting boiled and accepting it.
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Where is it clearly stated it's a solar feed in fee?
 
Nerhzelok said:
Whether or not they care isn't the issue, they still have that data (I'm assuming it's quite detailed and invasive). Things can happen, data leaks, unauthorized personnel accessing for their own gain etc...


Two wrongs don't make a right and although I'm specifically asking about CoCT taking aerial shots of houses, with Google you can at least report an issue should something of a private nature be exposed. We don't necessarily have that right here, as far as I know. In other words, a private entity is exposed to various laws and regulations, especially a global one, they need to comply or **** hits the fan. But something like this, we lack the power and insight into wtf they're doing.
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Well, if it is detailed one avenue i can see being lucrative is criminals using it to plan how best to rob you...
Yes there's Google Earth but it won't be as detailed as the 40MP drone flying over your suburb to take shots for municipality...
 
Lupus said:
Where is it clearly stated it's a solar feed in fee?
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It is worth paying attention to what is actually stated in the screenshot.

9.3 ALL SSEG systems must have approved bi-directional meters installed as clarified in the requirements document. The amounts have been stated. Note there are no options to not have the meter installed. This means that one will be liable to pay the amount and be forced to install the meter.

9.4 Points to a Contractual agreement. Look carefully at how they state this "Administration charge"
What Is an Administrative Charge? An administrative charge is a fee charged by Administration. In this document, it is to the amount of R750.

Now look at the "Network Capacity Charge" at R55.12 per installed KVA (SSEG-rated power) That means you get charged this amount for every KVA. Now is it safe to assume that 1kW = 1kVA? If it is the case then a 5Kw system will cost you R275.60 a month. add that to the other totals including your loan then it becomes very significant.

Everyone here can agree that this is unfair because all costs are our responsibility and the municipality is just charging for something they did not install and do not own. This is clearly a money grab and why I feel so strongly that the DA backstabbed the community at large.
 
6174 said:
It is worth paying attention to what is actually stated in the screenshot.

9.3 ALL SSEG systems must have approved bi-directional meters installed as clarified in the requirements document. The amounts have been stated. Note there are no options to not have the meter installed. This means that one will be liable to pay the amount and be forced to install the meter.

9.4 Points to a Contractual agreement. Look carefully at how they state this "Administration charge"
What Is an Administrative Charge? An administrative charge is a fee charged by Administration. In this document, it is to the amount of R750.

Now look at the "Network Capacity Charge" at R55.12 per installed KVA (SSEG-rated power) That means you get charged this amount for every KVA. Now is it safe to assume that 1kW = 1kVA? If it is the case then a 5Kw system will cost you R275.60 a month. add that to the other totals including your loan then it becomes very significant.

Everyone here can agree that this is unfair because all costs are our responsibility and the municipality is just charging for something they did not install and do not own. This is clearly a money grab and why I feel so strongly that the DA backstabbed the community at large.
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Vote them out at the next election
 
REQUIREMENTS FOR SMALL-SCALE EMBEDDED GENERATION

Have a look at page 13.
1676634344678.png
Am I mistaken or are they describing a hybrid system? It works like a computer UPS. Essentially it charges its batteries via grid power and only continues to work once the grid fails. A system like this can generate power from the sun as well. but it is still technically not tied to the grid and is not pushing any power to the grid in any way. Does this count as an off-grid system then?

I think the SSEG system that the municipality wants to charge for is not just grid-tied but also one that produces power for the grid. The question is are the fee still applicable if this is not the case?
 
6174 said:
REQUIREMENTS FOR SMALL-SCALE EMBEDDED GENERATION

Have a look at page 13.
View attachment 1477793
Am I mistaken or are they describing a hybrid system? It works like a computer UPS. Essentially it charges its batteries via grid power and only continues to work once the grid fails. A system like this can generate power from the sun as well. but it is still technically not tied to the grid and is not pushing any power to the grid in any way. Does this count as an off-grid system then?

I think the SSEG system that the municipality wants to charge for is not just grid-tied but also one that produces power for the grid. The question is are the fee still applicable if this is not the case?
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In that document you've attached no mention of payment is mentioned, also its dated from almost 2 years ago?
 
Arthur said:
Municipalities and electricity is a fraught and complex issue in SA, mainly because so many municipalities depend on the high markups to fund general expenditures. It's a fundamental weakness in SA's post-1994 municipal financing regime.

Municipalities buy from the state-owned bulk generator (Eskom) and resell to retail customers after 120%-250% markup. Many municipalities are utterly dependant on their electricity profits to fund other non-electricity municipal expenses.

Until a new way is found to fund municipalities in SA, we will see these awful distortions in the market, such as the reluctance to get on board with solar pv.
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It is a balancing act, but on the other hand come June City Power (CT) will gradually (geographically) start paying a feed in tariff of 78.98c/kWh plus an additional 25c/kWh incentive for homes and businesses feeding excess solar power into the grid. Why? Because that's cheaper than what they pay Eskom. The problems were mostly due to archaic regulations which made buying from small producers an administrative nightmare. With the regulations which existed before CT power got an exemption there was a heavy bureaucratic burden. Which among other things required City Power clients to pay a heavy licensing fee just to get solar. It's somewhat difficult to fault the old regulations since they never even anticipated numerous small scale providers contributing to the grid. Then again - The writing has been on the wall regarding this for quite some time. Our government is nothing if not ineffective and unresponsive.

With the exemption the entire dynamic changes. City Power will encourage everybody to get solar since they'll promote economic health in the city through safeguarding against Load Shedding, and save on electricity purchases from Eskom and administrative expenses.

My only regret... I'm not on city power. 500 years before Eskom catches a wakeup.
 
Has anyone ever been forced to pay for grid-tie equipment and to part take in the SSEG initiative? :unsure:
 
I'm curious, can anyone sum this up? How is the municipalities making it unaffordable for Romy to get a solar installation?
 
Lupus said:
In that document you've attached no mention of payment is mentioned, also its dated from almost 2 years ago?
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Can you provide more up-to-date documentation?

Bliksis said:
Has anyone ever been forced to pay for grid-tie equipment and to part take in the SSEG initiative? :unsure:
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From my understanding, if you are not Off-grid you will be forced to buy the meter and pay the monthly fees that will be imposed. I can see no reason why the municipality will deny itself free money.
 
6174 said:
Can you provide more up-to-date documentation?


From my understanding, if you are not Off-grid you will be forced to buy the meter and pay the monthly fees that will be imposed. I can see no reason why the municipality will deny itself free money.
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So all speculation and conjecture then?
 
It is time that the municipalities to offer some answers and explanations. If we are left to guess then the court system will have to be involved. This will be an expensive extra step. If they cannot provide us with current up-to-date documentation then I doubt many people will install solar.

No one wants to open a door to penalties, misunderstandings, and the like. They are going to have to provide us with meaningful information.

However, the solar installer should be accountable and must provide the relevant information. They must provide for inspections, and COC certification and must be able to explain the legalities regarding the installation. We are paying for their expertise. I think it is a "them" problem. Not ours.
 
6174 said:
Can you provide more up-to-date documentation?


From my understanding, if you are not Off-grid you will be forced to buy the meter and pay the monthly fees that will be imposed. I can see no reason why the municipality will deny itself free money.
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"From what you understand" and the rest of your post is purely assumptions.
 
6174 said:
It is time that the municipalities to offer some answers and explanations. If we are left to guess then the court system will have to be involved. This will be an expensive extra step. If they cannot provide us with current up-to-date documentation then I doubt many people will install solar.

No one wants to open a door to penalties, misunderstandings, and the like. They are going to have to provide us with meaningful information.

However, the solar installer should be accountable and must provide the relevant information. They must provide for inspections, and COC certification and must be able to explain the legalities regarding the installation. We are paying for their expertise. I think it is a "them" problem. Not ours.
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It's simple. If you do not want to feed back into the grid, you don't have to. It's an initiative, and a step in the right direction.

It's not financially feasible for me, but for others it might be.
 
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