Solar power in the Free State
In Bloemfontein and the rest of Centlec's supply area, Centlec must approve your solar system before it's connected, and only a qualified SSEG designer and installer can apply for you.
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Centlec, the Mangaung metro's electricity utility, requires its approval for every small-scale embedded generation (SSEG) installation in its supply area. It doesn't take applications from homeowners directly: you appoint a qualified SSEG designer and installer, who applies on your behalf on Centlec's written embedded generation application form, which goes to Centlec Customer Care.
Outside Centlec's area, towns such as Welkom, Kroonstad and Sasolburg fall under other municipalities (Matjhabeng, Moqhaka and Metsimaholo), none of which SALGA's 2023 survey could get SSEG information from. If your account is with one of them, or with Eskom directly, check their process before you commit to a system.
What Centlec asks for
Centlec's SSEG policy covers systems below 1 MVA, which includes every home installation. Alongside the application, expect your installer to supply the panel and inverter specifications, the inverter's NRS 097 certification, a control philosophy and a single-line diagram. Commissioning tests are done on the day of Centlec's site visit, and the commissioning report must be signed by a registered professional engineer. Centlec then wants an installation safety report, panel, string, framing and earthing layouts, and the certificate of compliance.
Centlec also has to keep a register of SSEG systems for NERSA, so the application records the technology, capacity, battery storage and the system's GPS location. No equipment may be connected to the grid without written consent from Centlec's engineer.
Metering, and whether exports earn anything
If your system can push power into the grid, Centlec installs a 4-quadrant meter with a modem it owns, and you pay the full cost of the meter plus programming, installation and admin. Its policy allows a monthly fixed service charge for network and administration costs alongside the energy charge on a net-metering tariff.
In SALGA's 2023 survey, Centlec had an SSEG application process but no approved SSEG tariff, so there was nothing to credit exports against. Before you size a system to sell power back, ask Centlec whether a net-metering tariff applies in the current financial year. If it doesn't, a system sized for your own daytime use, with reverse power flow blocked, is likely the better buy.
November hail and your panels
Hail season in the summer-rainfall interior runs from October to March and peaks in November. A University of Pretoria hail climatology models the zone where hail larger than 3 cm is expected at least once a month extending west to include the Free State in November. Panels are glass, and the array is the most exposed part of your house.
- Ask for the panel's hail test rating and the manufacturer's warranty terms on impact damage.
- Tell your building insurer about the system before it goes up, and confirm panels are covered.
- Keep the installer's layout drawing and serial numbers; you'll need them for any claim.
Be wary of free solar offers
In 2024 Centlec warned Mangaung residents about unregistered suppliers on social media promising free solar packages. It called the messages false and misleading, and repeated that every SSEG installation needs its approval. A legitimate installer will quote you, not give you a system.
Solar Power prices in the Free State
Published 2026 price guides don't show a reliable difference in solar installation prices for the Free State compared with other provinces, so use the national figures in the solar cost guide.
Budget separately for Centlec's metering if you plan to export, since you carry the full cost of the meter, its programming and installation, and for the engineer's declaration. Ask installers whether their quote includes both, and check what to look for before you hire.
Where in the Free State
You can request quotes from anywhere in the province, including Mangaung, Bloemfontein, Welkom, Bethlehem, Kroonstad, Sasolburg, Parys, Harrismith. Choose your region and suburb in the form, and providers who cover your area will quote.
Solar Power in the Free State: questions
Can I apply to Centlec for solar approval myself?
No. Centlec requires a qualified SSEG designer and installer to apply on the owner's behalf, using its written application form. It says only written applications are considered. After installation, a registered professional engineer signs the commissioning report following tests on the day Centlec visits the site.
Will Centlec pay me for solar power I export?
Only if a net-metering tariff is in place. SALGA's 2023 survey recorded no approved SSEG tariff for Centlec, and its policy says the approved net-metering tariff for each financial year applies. Ask Centlec what's current before you design a system around exports, and remember the meter cost is yours.
Are solar panels at risk from hail in the Free State?
Hail is a real risk. Modelling by University of Pretoria researchers puts the Free State inside the zone where hail larger than 3 cm is expected at least once a month in November. Check the panels' impact rating, the warranty and your insurance cover before installation.
Sources
- Small Scale Embedded Generation Policy 0 kVA – 1 MVA, 2023/24 FY, Centlec (SOC) Ltd
- Application form for embedded generation, Centlec (SOC) Ltd
- CENTLEC warns of solar scam, The Business Weekly, 25 June 2024
- Status of Embedded Generation in South African Municipalities, SALGA, 2023
- An ERA-Interim HAILCAST hail climatology for southern Africa, Dyson, Pienaar, Smit and Kijko, University of Pretoria, 2021
Last updated 28 October 2026.
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