Swissolar Demands Modifications for Solar Laws in Switzerland

Regulations Governing Solar Power: A Brief Overview In Switzerland, a series of regulations control the minimum remuneration, the operation of local electricity communities (or LEGs), exemptions from network charges for battery storage, as well as the flexibility in the feeding of solar power into the grid. According to Swissolar, these solar energy laws need improvements. These potential enhancements could establish a clear and dependable plan for solar expansion in Switzerland.

Possibilities provided by the electricity law could make facilities operating on self-consumption, ZEV, and LEGs economically viable. However, Swissolar believes that the Federal Council (or Bundesrat) should better utilise its legislative leeway to ensure the long-term solar expansion.

In line with the new electricity law approved by nearly 70% of the electorate, approximately 35 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity should be derived from new renewable energy sources by 2035. Nearly 80% of this target is expected to come from solar facilities alone, which amounts to around 28 TWh and represents a quadrupling of Swiss solar power production. Important elements of this law will come into force in 2026.

Remodelling Remuneration Policies The hike in minimum remuneration, coupled with incentives for self-consumption, activates when the quarterly average of the reference electricity market price falls below amortisation costs. Relative to the consultation - the Switzerland's equivalent of a draft law - moderate increases were now incorporated, with attention being given to previously unheeded costs.

Local Electricity Communities: An Evolutionary Solution Despite the recent amendments, Swissolar still identifies the incentives for local electricity consumption as insufficient. LEGs are expected to boost planning certainty for plant operators, allowing the sale of electricity locally at a fixed rate. The discount scheme, though improved, still lingers substantially below the statutory maximum, and Swissolar demands for it to be raised to reduce network expansion needs.

Storage Facilities: Better Terms through Refunds of Network Usage Charges Battery storage operators could under certain conditions secure a refund of network usage charges. This beneficial for stationary battery storage and bidirectional charging of electric vehicles as it creates incentives for the temporary storage of solar production peaks, thereby relieving strains on electricity networks.

Flexibility Rule: More Opportunites for Network-Friendly Operations With the new flexibility regulation, distribution network operators can define maximum grid feed-in at the connection point. This seeks to avert delays in connecting further solar facilities and reduce the need for expansion. Solar plant operators have the possibility of consuming the electricity themselves, via a battery or an electric vehicle, for instance.

Swissolar President, Jürg Grossen, speaks positively about the newly-decided regulations, noting that they represent substantial improvements over prior ones. However, he emphasizes that the Federal Council must optimize its legislative leeway to guarantee the expansion of renewable energy sources in the long term - especially in regard to Local Electricity Communities.