The classic feed-in remuneration – the KEV, with a guaranteed purchase price over many years – no longer exists for new systems. Today a two-part system applies: the Confederation pays a one-off investment contribution (the one-off feed-in incentive), and the grid operator remunerates the fed-in surplus at the feed-in tariff, which since 2026 has a statutory floor. Anyone who says "feed-in remuneration" today almost always means this feed-in tariff. (As of: July 2026)
Key points in brief
- KEV stands for "cost-covering feed-in remuneration" – a funding scheme with guaranteed remuneration that's closed to new registrations.
- The system change: away from an ongoing subsidy per kilowatt-hour, towards a one-off investment contribution plus market remuneration.
- For new systems, today it's: the one-off feed-in incentive via Pronovo + the grid operator's feed-in tariff.
- Since 1 January 2026, a statutory minimum remuneration protects small systems against extreme low prices.
- The Swiss system has nothing to do with the German EEG – the terms sound similar, the mechanics don't.
What does "feed-in remuneration" mean in Switzerland today?
The term leads a double life, and that causes a lot of confusion in consultations. Historically it refers to the KEV, the Confederation's old funding scheme with guaranteed remuneration rates. Colloquially, though, most people today simply mean the money the grid operator pays for fed-in solar power – correctly called feed-in remuneration or feed-in tariff, and it's not a funding scheme but a purchase price for your energy (the tariffs in the region).
Anyone who knows the "feed-in remuneration under the EEG" from German media has to rethink: a system like that, with fixed, state-guaranteed rates for every fed-in kilowatt-hour, doesn't exist in Switzerland for new systems. Here, funding comes at the start – as an investment contribution – not spread over twenty years of operation.
What was the KEV – and why was it replaced?
The cost-covering feed-in remuneration started in 2009: anyone who got a place in the programme received a guaranteed rate for all their fed-in electricity over a fixed term – as predictable as a savings account. The catch was its success: demand outstripped the funds by a wide margin, the waiting list grew to years, and many homeowners waited longer for a decision than their planning allowed.
With Energy Strategy 2050, the Confederation therefore carried out the system change: instead of a subsidy running per kilowatt-hour over decades, new photovoltaic systems receive a one-off contribution towards the investment. The money takes effect immediately, the administration is leaner, and it stretches to far more systems. No new commitments have been made under the KEV; existing contracts continue normally until the end of their respective remuneration period.
How does today's system work?
Two separate building blocks that are often confused:
| One-off feed-in incentive (EIV) | Feed-in remuneration | |
|---|---|---|
| What is it? | Confederation's funding contribution towards the investment | The grid operator's purchase price for your surplus |
| Who pays? | The Confederation, via Pronovo | Your utility / grid operator |
| How often? | once, after commissioning | ongoing, per kWh fed in |
| Amount | currently around CHF 360 per kWp up to 30 kWp | depending on the utility and model, between 6 and 14 Rp./kWh in the region in 2026 |
| Safety | The rate at the time of commissioning is decisive | statutory floor for small systems since 2026 |
Guideline values, as of: July 2026. Pronovo's current rates and your grid operator's tariff publications are decisive.
The details on both building blocks are in their own guides: the one-off feed-in incentive – entitlement and process, including the KLEIV/GREIV distinction for larger systems, and the feed-in tariff comparison. Many utilities tie their remuneration to the quarterly reference market price; if that drops sharply, the statutory minimum remuneration of 6.0 Rp./kWh kicks in for systems up to 30 kWp – one of the building blocks of the new Electricity Act, whose overall picture is set out here.
What does the system change mean for your calculation?
It shifts the economic centre of gravity – to a place you can influence yourself. Without a guaranteed purchase price, a system no longer lives off feed-in but off self-consumption: every self-consumed kilowatt-hour replaces grid electricity at the full consumption price, while the surplus is sold at the feed-in tariff. The one-off feed-in incentive, in turn, lowers the investment on day one instead of in homeopathic doses over decades.
For planning, that means concretely: don't build the system that feeds in the most, but the one that matches your consumption – whether it pays off is decided by the consumption profile, not the remuneration rate. The old KEV mindset ("produce as much as possible, the rate is guaranteed after all") leads to wrongly sized projects today.
I still have a KEV system – what applies to me?
Existing commitments remain valid: remuneration continues to the end of the committed term under the committed conditions. Operators should still plan, though – specifically for the transition. Once it expires, the system switches to normal feed-in at the local grid operator's tariff; in most cases that's noticeably less than the KEV rate. At the same time, the guarantee of origin becomes free to market separately, and self-consumption, which often played no role in KEV days, becomes the most important lever. Anyone who sees the switch coming checks battery storage, shifting consumption and their utility's tariff models in good time.
"How much feed-in remuneration will I get?" is one of the most common first questions in our consultations – and the answer almost always starts with clarifying terms. Anyone calculating with the expectations of the old system (or the German EEG) is initially disappointed. After the counter-calculation, the picture regularly turns around: an immediate one-off incentive, a tax deduction in the first year, and self-consumption as a long-term performer together add up to a more solid calculation than a guaranteed rate ever was.
Frequently asked questions
Can I still register for the KEV today?
No. For new systems, only today's system of the one-off feed-in incentive and feed-in tariff applies. Existing KEV contracts are unaffected.
Is the feed-in tariff a funding scheme?
No – it's the purchase price for your energy. The investment is what's funded: through the Confederation's one-off feed-in incentive, the tax deduction and any cantonal or municipal programmes (the overview).
Why does my feed-in remuneration fluctuate from quarter to quarter?
Many grid operators tie remuneration to the quarterly reference market price. In sunny quarters with lots of solar power on the grid it falls, in others it rises – since 2026 the minimum remuneration has limited the downside risk for small systems.
Are there ongoing remuneration schemes for large systems?
Large systems have their own instruments such as auctions and the sliding market premium – irrelevant for single-family and typical apartment-building systems, where the two-part system applies.
Is full feed-in without self-consumption still worth it at all?
Rarely. Without a guaranteed rate, full feed-in carries the full tariff risk and forgoes the most valuable item – the electricity costs saved. Exceptions are special constellations, such as barn roofs with no consumption behind them.
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Sources: Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) (Energy Strategy 2050), Pronovo, ElCom.
Last updated: 9 July 2026 · Author: ecoEn editorial team
