Compliance
What is NRS 097 and why does my solar inverter need it?
NRS 097-2-1 is South Africa’s utility-interface standard for connecting small-scale embedded generators (SSEGs) — including hybrid solar and many battery systems — to the low-voltage grid. Municipalities and Eskom expect type-tested, approved inverters with anti-islanding and other grid-protection features before SSEG authorisation.
NRS 097-2-1 vs NRS 097-2-3
- NRS 097-2-1 — product/interface rules for the inverter (how it behaves on the grid).
- NRS 097-2-3 — simplified connection criteria (how big a system your local LV network can usually accept without a full study).
Ask your installer for the inverter’s NRS 097-2-1 test certificate and whether the model sits on your metro’s approved list (Cape Town publishes one).
What a safe answer should emphasise
Registration is about the point of connection to the grid, not only whether you export. Battery/UPS systems wired into the DB are often treated as SSEG. This page is educational — confirm rules with your distributor.
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