Why most homes get little or nothing for exported solar
Export payment needs three things to line up: SSEG registration, an approved bi-directional meter, and a municipal feed-in tariff. The tariff, where one exists, is usually well below the retail rate. Some municipalities still offer no household feed-in at all.
Three gates, and most homes stop at the first
Registration
The system registers as a small-scale embedded generator with the municipality or Eskom, with a compliant inverter and a Certificate of Compliance.
The meter
An old meter may spin backwards, trip, or bill exports as consumption. An approved bi-directional meter is required, sometimes at your cost.
The tariff
Set by each municipality. Credits usually offset the account rather than paying out cash, and unused credits can expire at financial year end.
The rate gap is the point
You might pay R2.80 to R3.90 per kWh to buy power. Export credits are commonly a fraction of that, because the municipality still carries the network cost. Cape Town has been the notable mover, with a credit and an incentive period. Most other metros and smaller towns pay less, pay in expiring credits, or pay nothing.
- Fixed monthly charges stay, even if your units drop to zero.
- Credits are usually offset against your account, not paid in cash.
What this means for sizing
Size the system for what you use, not for export income. A quote showing a large export revenue line at the full retail rate makes the whole quote unreliable. Ask for the municipal tariff document behind the number. The data page shows how SolRand handles exports: through self-use only.
Questions people actually ask
Is it illegal to feed power back without registering?
An unregistered grid-tied system can breach municipal bylaws and connection conditions, and it can endanger line workers. Register the system. Grid-tied means connected, even if you aim for zero export.
Does Cape Town pay cash for solar?
Cape Town's programme has credited accounts and, for a period, allowed qualifying customers to be paid for surplus. Terms and rates change, so check the City's current SSEG page before relying on any figure.