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The Association of Municipal Electricity Utilities (AMEU) has aligned its members with an interim National Rationalised Specifications (NRS) recommendation that SSEG solar PV infrastructure design, test and commission requires professional sign-off from an ECSA registered engineer.
At the meeting, the AMEU confirmed that SAPVIA-issued Green Card holders do not qualify as acceptable professional sign-off signatories. [ESI Africa has approached SAPVIA for comment.] Though the AMEU says it is "cognisant of and recognises the good work that is generally being done by SAPVIA in the solar PV field."
SSEG systems in South Africa require an Electrical Certificate of Compliance and test report that are issued by a suitably qualified electrical contractor or service provider. The requirement for COC certification is in addition to the professional sign-off by an ECSA (Engineering Council of South Africa) registered or recognised equivalent person.
This Electrical COC is a legal document that certifies a propertys electrical installations meet required safety standards in South Africa. It is mandatory when selling, renting or making significant changes to a property, including an SSEG installation.
Until such time as SANS 10142-Pars 2, 3 or 4 (pertaining to wiring of premises) or any other relevant regulatory guidance documents are published by the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS), the Management Committee of the NRS Association of South Africa recommends as an interim measure that all solar PV embedded generation system or infrastructure smaller than 1MVA must be professionally assessed or inspected and then signed off for commissioning by the applicable ECSA registered engineer. |
