Switzerland says it wants to reduce incentives for small solar systems to encourage larger projects that use all available roof surfaces.
The Swiss Federal Ministry for the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC) has published new amendments to the Energy Subsidy Regulation (EnFV) and other energy laws for public consultation. Stakeholders now have 7.7. until time to comment on the planned changes, which are scheduled to enter into force on January 1, 2024.
The Energy Subsidy Regulation stipulates that discounts for solar power systems with a maximum power of 5 kW must be removed from the rooftop electricity discount system. Swiss authorities currently grant a one-time payment of 200 Swiss francs ($221) for solar installations of up to 5 kW.
Systems ranging in size from 5 kW to 30 kW are eligible for rebates of 380 to 440 Swiss francs. However, this amount must also be reduced by CHF 20 from 2024.
“As a result, the total premium for smaller, more expensive systems will decrease more than for larger systems,” said the Swiss Energy Ministry. “This encourages the construction of larger systems that, where possible, use the entire suitable roof area for power generation.”
On January 1, the Swiss Confederation introduced a “high one-off payment” (HEIV) for solar energy, in addition to other existing incentive models: a one-off payment for small installations below 100 kW (KLEIV) and a one-time payment for large installations (GREIV), above 100 kW.
