Solar Guide Chapter 5: Incentives in 5 Minutes

In this chapter, you'll learn

• which three levels of incentives exist and who pays out what;
• how much the one-off incentive amounts to – and why the tax deduction is often underestimated;
• the one ordering rule whose neglect costs real money.

Incentives in five minutes

Level 1: the federal government. The most important contribution is the one-off feed-in incentive (EIV) – a one-time investment grant, not an ongoing tariff. For systems up to 30 kWp, the rate is currently around CHF 360 per kWp; a typical 10 kWp system thus receives around CHF 3,600. It's applied for after commissioning via Pronovo, and paid out after review. Relative to typical system costs, the EIV often amounts to something in the order of 15 to 25 percent of the investment – depending on the project. Pronovo's current rates apply.

Level 2: taxes. In most cantons – including Zurich – you deduct the system cost from your taxable income for existing buildings. Depending on income and municipality, this adds up to another four-figure amount. This second contribution is regularly underestimated, because it doesn't arrive as a transfer but as a lower tax bill. Important exception: for new builds, the deduction usually isn't possible.

Level 3: the municipality. Individual cities and municipalities pay additional contributions – per kWp, for storage, or for special systems. These programmes are the moving part of the incentive landscape: often budgeted, sometimes exhausted mid-year, and constantly changing. Whether your municipality pays anything should therefore be clarified early, not after installation.

The ordering rule. The classic mistake among incentive errors has nothing to do with forms, but with the calendar: many municipalities only support what was applied for before construction started. You can apply for the federal EIV at your leisure after commissioning – the municipal application, by contrast, needs to be submitted before the scaffolding goes up. Anyone who mixes up the order irrevocably loses the municipal contribution.

And who does the paperwork? In a well-organised project: the installation company. The Pronovo application, notification procedure and utility registration all run in the background – ideally, you notice almost none of it. What's left for you is the tax deduction on your next tax return.

Go deeper on this topic

Further reading from the guide: – Solar incentives Switzerland: all contributions at a glance — the complete picture with all programmes and the application order – The one-off incentive in detail — KLEIV, GREIV, HEIV and what applies to your roof – Tax deduction for solar systems — how the investment lowers your tax bill – Pronovo registration step by step — the process from application to payout

### Remember federal government after commissioning, municipality before construction starts: anyone who knows this one order gets everything there is out of Swiss solar incentives.

In brief

Is there a feed-in tariff in Switzerland? Not any more for new small systems – the old KEV system is closed. Today there's the one-off investment grant (EIV) plus your grid operator's ongoing remuneration for exported surplus electricity. Its amount is set by the utility, and it counts towards the economics, not towards incentives in the narrow sense.

Do I have to deal with Pronovo myself? Usually not – the installation company typically handles the application and documents for you. Experience shows Pronovo's review takes a few months; the payout arrives in the registered account after the written decision.

Is battery storage also supported? Not directly by the federal government at present. Individual cantons and municipalities have their own storage programmes – whether your municipality is among them should be checked early, because here too the rule often applies: application before construction starts, budget limited.

Solar guide: ← Chapter 4: What does the whole thing cost? · To the guide overview · Chapter 6: Self-consumption & feed-in →

Sources: Pronovo AG (EIV rates), Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE); figures taken 1:1 from the incentives guide (F01).

Last updated: 9 July 2026 · Author: ecoEn editorial team