City of Cape Town Link

Apply to sell surplus SSEG electricity to the City

Find out how to feed in excess generation from your solar PV or SSEG installation to the grid.

About

Most of the electricity generated by a grid-tied feed-in SSEG system (such as solar PV) is consumed onsite. Sometimes, the system will generate more electricity than the customer can consume. If you apply for a grid-tied feed-in SSEG system, you can feed that excess generation back into the City’s grid and we will credit you at the SSEG Feed-in tariff rate. This credit can be used to offset your entire municipal account, not just the electricity portion.

Previously, all SSEG customers were required to remain net consumers (i.e. buy more electricity from the network than they fed in). This restriction was recently lifted and the City can procure excess generation under the Cash for Power programme.

Cash for Power

If you have an approved grid-tied feed-in SSEG system and your municipal account is regularly fully offset by the SSEG Feed-in Tariff from the excess generation you produce, you can apply to join the Cash for Power programme.

All applications for the programme will be assessed annually. Successful applicants will sign a contract with the City in accordance with Supply Chain Management procurement processes outlined in Section 1.9 of the Requirements for SSEG.

Once your entire municipal account has been offset, any remaining credit will accumulate until it reaches a certain amount, then the City will pay you out (subject to the relevant Supply Chain Management processes).

Residential customers: one payout a year, once the amount exceeds R1000.
Commercial customers: one payout a month, once the amount exceeds R5000.

Join the Cash for Power programme

Email an Expression of Interest (EoI) to electricity.retail@capetown.gov.za to join the programme.

Is feeding in my excess electricity the right choice for me?

When deciding whether or not to feed-in, consider the following:

The cost of your installation
The additional costs for feeding in which includes the AMI meter and any metering accommodation that may be required
The generating and storage capacity of your system relative to your household load to understand how much excess you would be feeding in
The value of the excess electricity. You can calculate this by using the published feed-in tariff to determine the value proposition.

There are a number of tools and resources to assist with this calculation. However, the size and design of each SSEG installation may differ based on your brand preference, roof space, battery size, electricity consumption and budget. If you are still unsure if SSEG export (feeding in) makes sense for you, speak to your installer to provide an expert opinion.

How do I sell my excess energy back to the City?

If you would like to feed in excess electricity to the City’s network, follow the steps below:

	Commercial customers	Residential customers
Step 1	Install a grid-tied solar PV system with a City-approved inverter. Installers must apply to the City to authorise the system for grid connection before it is installed.
Step 2	Meter changes and an additional AMI Access fee may be applicable. Cost is quoted during authorisation process if applicable.	City will install an AMI meter at the relevant SSEG Feed-in Tariff rate.
Step 3	Customer placed on the applicable Non-residential SSEG tariff.	Customer moves to or remains on the Home User tariff. Excess electricity is credited at the the SSEG Feed-in tariff rate
Step 4	Electricity fed into the grid will be measured and credited to customer’s monthly municipal account at 82.06c/kWh + 25c/kWh incentive. This credit is offset against the customer’s monthly municipal account.	Electricity fed into the grid will be measured and credited to customer’s monthly municipal account at 92.13c/kWh + 25c/kWh incentive. This credit is offset against the customer’s monthly municipal account.
Step 5	Cash for Power: Customers with remaining credit after the offset will be paid out in cash once the amount exceeds R5000. Payments will be held back until the credit reaches this amount, and paid out on a monthly basis. To apply, email us your EoI.	Cash for Power: Customers with remaining credit after the offset will be paid out in cash once the amount exceeds R1000. Payments will be held back until the credit reaches this amount, and paid out once a year. To apply, email us your EoI.

Please note:

The amount of energy a customer can sell back to the City is limited by the size of the system they have been authorised to install, which is limited by the size of their connection to the City grid.
The City will install a bi-directional meter at your own expense. You are also required to install the metering accommodation for the bi-directional meter on the street-front property boundary.
You can now apply for SSEG authorisation online. This will make the application process simpler and faster. Follow the link below to find out how.