Everything you need to know about remuneration for solar energy and other electricity feed-in tariffs
Find out here about the current feed-in tariffs applicable from 2027 for electricity fed into the grid from your system, as well as other relevant information about your photovoltaic system.
How will the feed-in of your power be remunerated from 2026 onwards?
From 2027, remuneration will be based on the spot market price at the time the electricity is fed into Primeo Energie’s grid. The spot market price corresponds to the price on the spot market in day-ahead trading for the Swiss market area. It is set on the electricity exchange for the following day. This makes the standardised remuneration system across Switzerland more dynamic and more closely linked to electricity market prices. In practical terms, you will receive the applicable market price per quarter of an hour for the energy you generate. If electricity is fed into the grid when demand is high or supply is tight, its value – and therefore the remuneration – tends to be higher. If a large amount of electricity is fed into the grid, the market price usually falls and may even be negative at times.
The new dynamic remuneration scheme creates incentives to use PV electricity more efficiently whilst simultaneously relieving pressure on the grid; above all, the new remuneration model encourages PV systems not to feed electricity into the grid when the spot market price is negative. This is the case when there is already sufficient energy in the electricity system.
Minimum remuneration premium
The statutory minimum remuneration for systems up to 150 kilowatt-peak (kWp), which protects you against very low market prices, remains in place. It is now paid out in the form of a minimum remuneration premium. The amount of this premium corresponds to the difference between the reference market price calculated quarterly by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) and the minimum remuneration applicable to your system. The minimum remuneration premium is calculated at the end of each quarter and paid in addition to your individual remuneration based on spot market prices. This rule applies to systems without any special agreements.
Further information, in particular regarding the relevant reference market price, can be found here.
What you need to know
- From 2027, the tariff for solar power fed into the grid will no longer be based on the quarterly reference market price.
- It will now be based on the spot market price at the time the power is fed into the grid.
- The new dynamic tariff creates incentives to use PV electricity more efficiently whilst simultaneously reducing the load on the grid.
- Above all, the new tariff model provides incentives to ensure that PV systems do not feed electricity into the grid when the spot market price is negative. This is the case when there is already sufficient energy in the electricity system.
- For producers, this opens up opportunities to optimise the returns from their solar installations.
- A minimum remuneration protects installations with a capacity of up to 150 kW – as is already the case today – against low market prices. It is paid out in the form of a minimum remuneration premium.
| Plant size | Minimum remuneration ct/kWh |
|---|---|
Systems with a capacity of less than 30 kW | 6.00 |
Systems with own consumption and an output of 30 kW or more | 1.20 – 6.00 |
Installations sans consommation propre d'une puissance supérieure à 30 kW | 6.20 Rp/kWh |
Hydroelectric power stations | 12,00 Rp./kWh |
Biomass | - |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between the new feed-in tariff based on the spot market price and the previous tariff based on the reference market price?
The spot market price is the market price at the time of feed-in. It is determined on the electricity market for the Swiss market area and may change every quarter of an hour. From 2027, the remuneration for the electricity you feed into the grid will be based on this price. You will therefore receive the specific market price for every quarter of an hour of your feed-in.
The current feed-in tariff model is based on the reference market price, which is calculated retrospectively for each quarter by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy. The reference market price is calculated by weighting market prices against the actual feed-in from comparable installations.
The new remuneration system reflects the value of the energy fed into the grid much more accurately: during hours when there is a surplus of electricity, the remuneration is low; during hours when electricity is in demand, the remuneration is high. This increases the incentive to boost self-consumption during sunny hours (charging an electric car, heating the boiler, running the heat pump, etc.) and thereby relieve the strain on the grid. At times of high electricity demand, there is a greater incentive to feed electricity into the grid and thus generate a higher return per kilowatt-hour.
How does the new remuneration scheme work out?
| Optimised self-consumption | |
| Consumption volume | 4000 kWh |
| Individually achieved average price | 6,48 Rp./kWh -> This price can be optimised through targeted feed-in. |
| SFOE reference market price | 5,89 Rp./kWh |
| Minimum remuneration | 6,00 Rp./kWh |
| Difference | 0,11 Rp./kWh |
| Minimum remuneration bonus | 4.40 Fr. |
| Remuneration for consumption | 4000 kWh x 6,48 Rp. + 4,40 Fr. = 263,56 Fr. |
The BFE reference market price indicates the average market value achieved by electricity fed into the grid over a quarter. It continues to be calculated by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy. For PV systems up to 30 kilowatts, a minimum remuneration of 6.00 rappen/kWh applies. If the BFE reference market price is lower than this, the difference is paid as a minimum remuneration premium.
You receive this premium regardless of how much you earn from feeding electricity into the grid at the spot market price. If you manage your own consumption carefully, you can also achieve a higher average price. The example has been deliberately simplified and is not a price forecast for 2026.
What is the difference between the spot price and the reference price?
The spot market price is the market price at the time of feed-in. It is determined on the electricity market for the Swiss market area and may change every quarter of an hour. From 2027, the remuneration for the electricity you feed into the grid will be based on this price.
The reference market price, on the other hand, is an average value. It is calculated and published by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy at the end of each quarter, with market prices weighted against the actual feed-in from comparable installations. The reference market price is important for determining whether a minimum remuneration premium is paid for installations up to 150 kW.
How is the spot market price calculated, and where can I find out about the prices?
The spot market price is determined on the electricity exchange for each quarter-hour of the day by supply and demand for the Swiss market area. When there is plenty of electricity available and demand is low, the spot market price falls. When demand is higher or less electricity is being generated, it rises.
If you have an energy management system (EMS), the prices are often included in it.
What does the day-ahead spot market price mean for the feed-in tariff?
‘Day-Ahead’ means that the electricity price for the following day is determined on the electricity exchange the day before. As regards the feed-in tariff, this means that, from 2027, the basic tariff will be based on the spot market price at the time of feed-in. This price may vary every quarter of an hour.
What is the minimum remuneration bonus?
For installations up to 150 kWp, the Energy Act provides for a minimum feed-in tariff. This is paid in addition to the basic feed-in tariff.
At the end of each quarter, a check is carried out to determine whether the reference market price calculated by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy is below the minimum feed-in tariff applicable to your installation. If this is the case, you will receive the difference as a minimum feed-in tariff bonus.
Example for a system with a minimum feed-in tariff of 6 Rp./kWh:
- If the reference market price is 3 Rp./kWh, the minimum feed-in tariff bonus is 3 Rp./kWh.
- If the reference market price is 2 Rp./kWh, the minimum feed-in tariff bonus is 4 Rp./kWh.
- If the reference market price is 6 Rp./kWh or higher, no minimum remuneration bonus will be paid.
What happens to my payment if the spot market price is negative?
If the spot market price is negative for a quarter of an hour, you will also receive a negative payment for the electricity you feed into the grid during that period. This means you pay for the electricity you feed in at that moment, rather than receiving money for it. These negative values are factored into your payment. Your bill will show exactly how much electricity you have fed into the grid at positive and negative prices.
For installations up to 150 kW, a check is carried out at the end of each quarter to determine whether the reference market price calculated by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy is below the statutory minimum remuneration. If this is the case, you will receive the difference – multiplied by the amount of electricity fed into the grid during that quarter in kilowatt-hours – as a minimum remuneration bonus.
The minimum remuneration bonus is based on the reference market price and not on the spot market prices for your installation. Negative spot market prices can therefore lead to a lower total remuneration despite the minimum remuneration bonus if a significant proportion of the feed-in takes place at such times. Conversely, the total remuneration may be higher if less electricity is fed into the grid at negative spot market prices and feed-in occurs more frequently at higher spot market prices.
What can I do to protect myself against negative prices or to maximise my earnings?
An energy management system (EMS) allows you to control your consumption and feed-in in a targeted manner. An EMS retrieves the spot market prices for the following day the day before, thereby identifying low or negative prices, and can automatically reduce feed-in at such times – for example, by specifically controlling a battery storage system, an electric car or the hot water system – or it can even suspend feed-in altogether. At these times, surplus solar power is channelled to where it is most beneficial: into a battery storage system, an electric car or the hot water system. This allows you to increase your self-consumption and avoid feeding electricity into the grid at low or negative prices.
