What a CoC is
A Certificate of Compliance confirms that electrical work meets the wiring standard, SANS 10142. It is signed by a registered person after testing the installation. You will already know the idea from selling a house: the electrical CoC is the same document.
A solar or inverter installation changes your wiring, so it needs one. The inverter, the AC connection into the DB board and the earthing and protection all fall under it.
Who may sign it
The Electrical Contractors Association of South Africa says only an Installation Electrician or a Master Installation Electrician registered with the Department of Employment and Labour may issue a CoC for a solar PV system. Single-phase testers may assist under supervision but cannot certify these installations.
Eskom says the same about its own requirements: a registered person such as an Installation Electrician or Master Installation Electrician. It no longer asks for an ECSA-registered professional on residential systems.
What the PV GreenCard is
The PV GreenCard is run by SAPVIA, the solar industry association. It works as an as-built report: a quality record of the installation steps and the equipment used. SAPVIA says it should accompany every small-scale PV installation alongside the electrical CoC.
It is a quality mark, not the law. The CoC is the legal document. A PV GreenCard does not replace it.
Where you will need the CoC
- Registering the system with Eskom or your municipality, which asks for a valid CoC.
- Insurance claims. Improper certification may put a claim at risk.
- Selling the house, when the buyer's electrical CoC is checked.
- Any later work on your DB board.
How to check what you were given
Ask for the CoC itself, not a promise. It should show your address, the date, the work covered and the signer's registration details. The Electrical Contractors Association suggests asking for the installer's registration card and checking it with the Department's provincial office.
If your system was installed a while ago without a CoC, a registered electrician can inspect it and issue one if it passes. If it fails, they will list what must be fixed. Do not try to correct DC or battery wiring yourself.
A word on cheap quotes
An installer who says a CoC is not needed, or offers to skip it to save time, is telling you something about the rest of the job. Compliance protects your house and your insurance.
Ask before you sign who will test and certify the work, and whether the certificate is included in the quote or charged separately. Ask when you will receive it. It should be handed over when the job is finished, not weeks later after you have chased for it.
Keep the CoC with your house documents, along with the equipment list and any PV GreenCard report. If you later add panels, a battery or a second inverter, the new work needs its own certificate. A CoC covers the work that was tested on the day, not changes made afterwards.
The job behind this: Compliance certificates and inspections.