NRS 097-2-1 explained
What the South African grid specification for inverters covers, and why your municipality asks for it.
NRS 097-2-1 ("Grid interconnection of embedded generation, Part 2: Small-scale embedded generation, Section 1: Utility interface") is the South African specification for how small generators, such as solar and hybrid inverters and battery systems that run alongside the grid, must behave when connected to the low-voltage grid. It covers generators under 1 MVA. The current edition is NRS 097-2-1:2024 (edition 3).
What it covers
- Stopping when the grid stops (anti-islanding): the inverter must disconnect if the grid fails, so it never powers a line that utility workers believe is dead.
- Staying within limits: voltage, frequency and power-quality limits, and how quickly the inverter must react when the grid goes outside them.
- Reconnecting safely once the grid is back and stable.
Why it matters to you
Eskom and municipalities such as the City of Cape Town, eThekwini and City Power in Johannesburg say every system that connects to the grid must be registered as small-scale embedded generation (SSEG), even if it never exports, and it must use an inverter with an NRS 097-2-1 type-test certificate. Only systems that are fully independent of the grid are exempt. Some want you to apply before you install: eThekwini needs written approval first, and Cape Town issues a Permission to Install letter and needs an ECSA-registered professional to sign the commissioning report before you switch on. Forms, fees and timing differ, so check with yours (or with Eskom if Eskom supplies you directly).
In this directory
Each inverter page says whether the maker's datasheet states NRS 097-2-1. "Not stated" doesn't mean the inverter fails it; it means the datasheet doesn't say. A "yes" isn't proof either: utilities want the type-test certificate for your exact model (Cape Town accepts only models on its list), so ask the seller for it and check which edition it was tested to. The 2024 edition allowed inverters certified to earlier editions to be installed for a limited time, so ask your utility whether an older certificate is still accepted.
Written by the Halvora Directory team and checked against public sources (7 Nov 2026). General information, not advice for your installation.