Solar power in North West

Export credits are the exception here

In the same survey, Rustenburg, Madibeng and Matlosana all had an official SSEG application process but no approved SSEG tariff, so there was nothing to credit exported power against. JB Marks had a process, but its tariff status wasn't recorded. Ditsobotla (Lichtenburg) had neither a process nor a tariff.

Until your municipality confirms an export tariff in writing, design the system for self-consumption: panels sized to your daytime load, reverse power flow blocked, and any surplus stored in a battery rather than pushed onto the grid. Ask the electricity department what has changed since 2023 before you commit.

Rustenburg: written approval and no back-feed

Rustenburg's draft electricity supply by-law (June 2017) sets the ground rules. No generation or standby equipment may be connected to an installation without the municipality's prior written approval, and the application must include a full specification and wiring diagram. The equipment must be designed so it's impossible for it to back-feed the municipal mains, and you provide the protective equipment and the certificate of compliance.

Running in parallel with the grid is allowed only by special agreement, with the owner paying for the synchronising and protection equipment the municipality requires. In practice, that means getting the approval letter before the installer switches anything on.

Backup for local supply problems

Local network faults can matter as much as national supply. In May 2026 an overheating transformer at Eskom's Potch DS substation forced JB Marks to rotate supply cuts across parts of Potchefstroom, including the CBD, Promosa and Ikageng Extension, in three-hour blocks between 16:00 and 22:00. Panels produce little or nothing for most of that window, so if outages like this concern you, size the battery for the evening, not just the daytime load.

Hail and wind on the array

Long-term SAWS records analysed by Olivier group the eastern parts of North West with Gauteng for hail. The season runs mainly from October to March, peaks in November, and storms most often strike in the late afternoon. In April 2026 hail shattered windows in several Mahikeng homes, and a windstorm damaged 33 houses in Mamerotse village near Rustenburg; in September 2026 roofs were blown off homes around Setlagole.

• Ask for the panels' hail impact rating and how the warranty treats hail damage.
• Ask how the racking is fixed to the roof structure, not just to the sheeting or tiles.
• List the array on your building insurance, and keep the installer's layout and serial numbers.