According to the notice, the authority requires technicians, contractors, suppliers, manufacturers and importers working in the solar energy sector to apply for licenses through its online portal before offering their services. «Submission of an application through the EPRA online licensing portal, the attachment of all necessary documents in accordance with the criteria of the website», the notification states as a requirement for all license applications.
According to the notice, individual solar photovoltaic (PV) system technicians who wish to install, maintain, test, and repair solar energy systems must apply for one of three classes of licenses, depending on their qualifications and scope of work; approval is expected to be received within 60 days. Photo by KETRACO.
T1 applicants will pay an application fee of 250 Kenyan shillings (Ksh), a license fee of 1,000 Ksh and an annual renewal fee of 500 Ksh. T2 category applicants will pay 500 Ksh for application, 2000 Ksh for issuance and 750 Ksh for annual renewal, while T3 category applicants will pay 750, 3000 and 1000 Ksh respectively.
The EPRA also outlined requirements for contractors, suppliers, and manufacturers of solar photovoltaic systems involved in the design, installation, sale, or manufacture of solar equipment; approval is expected to be received within 30 days.
Companies applying for contractor licenses must apply for Class C1 and pay an application fee of 500 Ksh, an issue fee of 1,000 Ksh, and 1,000 Ksh for annual renewal. Suppliers and manufacturers fall under V1 and V2 categories. V1 vendors will pay 1,000 Ksh for application, 2,500 Ksh for issuance, and 1,000 Ksh for annual renewal. For the V2 license, fees include 2000 Ksh for application, 5000 Ksh for issuance, and 2000 Ksh for annual renewal. In addition, the regulator has required technical specialists in solar water heating systems to obtain licenses of categories SHW1 or SHW2 for persons involved in the installation, maintenance and repair of solar water heating systems. Processing is expected to take up to 60 days. SHW1 applicants will pay 500 Ksh for application, 1000 Ksh for issuance and 1000 Ksh for annual renewal, while SHW2 applicants will pay 750, 1500 and 1500 Ksh respectively.
In the solar water heating sector, contractors, suppliers, manufacturers and importers were divided into three categories, with license approval expected to be received within 30 days. Applicants of the SHC1 category will pay 2000 Ksh for the application, 1500 Ksh for the issuance and 1500 Ksh for the annual renewal. Holders of SHC2 and SHM licenses will pay 3,000 Ksh each for application, 2,000 Ksh for issuance, and 2,000 Ksh for annual renewal. In recent weeks, EPRA has stepped up efforts to raise awareness and encourage service providers to obtain the necessary licenses and comply with regulatory requirements.
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