Solar system in the Basel region: cost, incentives and grid operators

This page brings together what really counts for a solar system in Basel-Stadt and in Baselland: cost guideline values, the incentive situation in both cantons, who buys your solar power at your address, and how notification and permit work. Our head office is in Zurich; we carry out projects in the Basel region with the same in-house team – from Allschwil, Binningen and Reinach to Muttenz, Pratteln, Riehen and Liestal. The incentives in detail: Incentives Basel-Landschaft and Incentives Basel-Stadt. Our services at a glance: Photovoltaics by ecoEn.

What does a solar system cost?

Costs depend on system size, roofing and house wiring – not on whether the house is in Basel-Stadt or Baselland. Guideline values per kilowatt of capacity (kWp):

Guideline prices as of July 2026, turnkey incl. installation and VAT, before incentives. The binding figure is the individual quote.

Incentives in Basel-Stadt and Baselland

In both cantons, the federal one-off feed-in incentive is the main support: around CHF 360 per kWp for roof-mounted systems up to 30 kWp, so around CHF 3’600 for a typical 10 kWp system (as of: July 2026). There is no cantonal contribution per kWp in either Basel-Stadt or Baselland – but there is one for the combination with a renovation:

• Basel-Landschaft (Energiepaket): Since 1 January 2026, in addition to the insulation contribution of CHF 40.– per m², a PV bonus of CHF 40.– per m² of module area on the insulated roof and CHF 120.– per m² on the insulated facade, applied for in the insulation application. Some municipalities add to this: Binningen pays 25 percent of the Pronovo contribution. Details: Incentives Basel-Landschaft.
• Basel-Stadt (Aktion Solarkraftwerk Basel): For a roof or facade renovation with PV, Fr. 50.– per m² of renovated roof area plus Fr. 50.– per m² of module area, and Fr. 70.– each on the facade; application before construction starts, buildings built before 2000. Details: Incentives Basel-Stadt.

In both cantons there is also the tax deduction for systems on existing buildings – in Baselland at 100 percent and spreadable over up to three tax years. We check the incentive situation for your address as part of the quote and submit the applications.

Who buys your solar power: IWB, Primeo or EBL?

The feed-in tariff is set by the utility at your address, not by the canton. In the Basel region there are three:

• IWB in Basel-Stadt. What IWB pays for exported solar power and how this differs from the federal model: Feed-in tariffs Basel and Bern.
• Primeo Energie in most municipalities of lower Baselland – according to the 2026 grid area map, including Allschwil, Binningen, Oberwil, Münchenstein, Reinach, Arlesheim, Aesch and Muttenz. In 2026, the quarterly reference market price is paid, backed by the minimum remuneration of 6.00 Rp./kWh up to 30 kW, plus guarantee of origin (2.00 Rp. in the first quarter, 0.50 Rp. in the remaining quarters).
• EBL in the Liestal area: likewise the reference market price with a minimum remuneration of 6.00 Rp./kWh up to 30 kW, plus 3.00 Rp./kWh for the guarantee of origin. In Pratteln we check the grid operator address by address.

For 2027, Primeo and EBL have not yet published a feed-in price sheet (as of: November 2026). Because the tariff is tied to the market price, in the Basel region it is mainly self-consumption that makes the numbers work: every kilowatt-hour you use yourself replaces grid electricity at the full purchase price.

Photovoltaics in Basel-Stadt and Baselland in figures

In the canton of Basel-Landschaft, 11’453 photovoltaic systems with a combined 261.2 MW are in operation, averaging 22.8 kWp per system; per capita that is 859 watts (rank 21 of 26). Basel-Stadt has 2’427 systems with 65.8 MW – at 322 watts per capita the last place among the cantons, which is no surprise in a densely built city with many protection and preservation zones. Notably, 14.6 percent of the systems in Basel are roof-integrated, almost twice as many as in Baselland (6.8 percent). (Source: Swissolar, Statistik Sonnenenergie 2025; as of: August 2026)

All cantons compared: Photovoltaics Switzerland in numbers.

Notification or building application: how it works in Basel-Stadt and Baselland

A sufficiently adapted roof system generally needs no building permit in either canton, but is notified (Art. 18a Spatial Planning Act). The differences lie in the zones:

• Basel-Stadt: Notification to the Building and Hospitality Inspectorate (BGI) in the normal building zones and in the preservation zone. In the protection zone, in the historic village cores and on cultural monuments, a building permit is required, with the heritage preservation office involved.
• Basel-Landschaft: Notification before construction starts to the cantonal building inspectorate (in individual municipalities such as Reinach, to the municipality), based on § 104b of the Spatial Planning and Building Act. In core zones, townscape zones and protection zones, as well as for cultural and natural monuments, a building application replaces the notification.

Before the quote, we check which zone your house is in and submit the notification or building application – in parallel with the connection application to the grid operator and the Pronovo registration. What belongs in a complete dossier: Notification procedure for solar systems.

Solar obligation in Basel-Stadt: what applies, what is planned

New buildings in Basel-Stadt must already generate part of their electricity themselves (§ 6 Energy Act). There is no obligation for existing houses. The cantonal government's «Solar Offensive» aims to change that: equip suitable roofs over 100 m² with photovoltaics within 15 years, excluding facades, and lift the current PV ban in the historic village cores. The bill is in committee deliberation in the Grosser Rat (Grand Council) (as of: May 2026) – nothing has been decided.

For planning, this means: anyone who is going to renovate the roof in the next few years anyway is best off building the system at the same time – then the renovation bonus applies, and any later obligation is already met. The situation in the rest of Switzerland: Solar obligation Switzerland.

Municipalities in the Basel region at a glance

As of: November 2026. The grid operator's tariff sheet and the municipality's zoning plans are authoritative.

Solar system with storage and EV charger in the Basel region

Because feed-in in the region is tied to the market price, many homeowners ask about storage and an EV charger right away. With a battery of around 10 kWh, the self-consumption of a 10 kWp system on a single-family home typically rises from 25–35 to 60–80 percent. Storage is not subsidised by the cantons in either Basel-Stadt or Baselland; for tax purposes it can be deducted together with the system. Anyone who doesn't want storage yet gets the system planned storage-ready – inverter, space and cabling are then prepared.

• Battery storageSized to consumption, can be retrofitted
• EV charger and electric car with solar powerSurplus charging, load management
• Solar system with storage: costExample calculation 10 kWp plus 10 kWh
• Roof renovation with photovoltaicsthe best time for the system

References

Our documented references with key data – from single-family homes to a 111 kWp condominium-association system – have so far come from the Zurich area and Aargau: Projects & references. During the site visit, we're happy to show you how we plan and invoice.

How your project works

1. Initial consultation. Free and without obligation – on site or by phone.
2. Site visit & planning. Roof, meter box and consumption: we design the system to suit your building.
3. Quote. Transparently itemised – every item traceable.
4. Permit & registration. We handle the notification procedure, grid operator and Pronovo for you.
5. Installation. By our own team – no passing the job on to subcontractors.
6. Commissioning & service. Acceptance, instruction and monitoring – we remain your point of contact.

What our quote includes – and what it doesn't

The most common worry before signing isn't the price but the question of what gets added at the end. That's why we show both.

Included: planning and design, materials (modules, inverter, mounting system, cabling), scaffolding, installation, the electrical connection by our own specialist company, commissioning and measurement, registration with the grid operator and the incentive application to Pronovo – we submit it for you.

Shown separately: anything added in individual cases appears as its own item in the quote, not in a lump sum. The most common case: if the existing meter distribution board – the fuse box – is not suitable for the system and needs to be adapted, we invoice this separately. Depending on the property, official fees and work provided by the client may also apply.

Payment in stages, linked to project progress. Under our terms and conditions (AGB), that's 30% on placing the order, 50% on delivery of the main components and 20% after commissioning and acceptance. We agree different terms on a project basis; the arrangement in your quote always applies.

Who is liable for what

After the company bankruptcies in the Swiss solar industry, this is the question that counts in the end – and it has three different answers:

• Product and performance warranties lie with the manufacturer of the modules, inverter and storage. A manufacturer's warranty is only ever as reliable as the manufacturer behind it – that's why, when choosing products, we also consider who will still be reachable if something goes wrong.
• The installation warranty lies with us: installation, electrical work, commissioning. That's the part we honour directly.
• Business liability insurance: as an installation company, we carry liability insurance.

In the event of a fault, you have one point of contact – us – regardless of whose component is affected.

Frequently asked questions

Guides for the Basel region

• Incentives Basel-Landschaft in detail
• Incentives Basel-Stadt in detail
• Feed-in tariffs Basel and Bern
• What does a solar system cost? The complete cost guide
• The federal one-off feed-in incentive explained
• Tax deduction for solar systems
• Notification procedure for solar systems
• Solar obligation Switzerland