Step 1: Correctly assess your production potential
Before any investment, you need to know what your roof can actually produce. Use free tools like PVGIS (JRC Europa) or the Swissolar simulator to estimate annual production based on your address, available surface area and orientation. In French-speaking Switzerland, a 1 kWp installation well oriented (south, 30°) produces approximately 950–1 100 kWh/year. Multiply this figure by the peak power of the planned installation to obtain the actual annual production. An accurate valuation is the basis of any serious profitability calculation.
Step 2: Reduce the initial cost thanks to PRONOVO subsidies
In Switzerland, photovoltaic installations benefit from unique investment aid (OIE) via PRONOVO. The amount depends on the peak power of the installation: for a residential installation of 8 kWp, the PRONOVO subsidy can represent CHF 1 500–3 000. Add the cantonal tax deductions (deductible as property maintenance costs): on an installation at CHF 20 000, this represents CHF 4 000–6 000 in tax savings. Net-net, your actual investment may be reduced by 25–35% compared to the gross price.
Step 3: Maximize self-consumption — this is where the money is made
The fundamental principle: each kWh that you consume directly from your panels is worth the avoided purchase price (CHF 0.22–0.35/kWh), or 2–3 times more than what you would obtain by reselling it to the network (CHF 0.07–0.14/kWh). Strategies to maximize self-consumption: shift the consumption of large appliances (washing machine, dishwasher, EV charger) to the middle of the day via a connected socket or a timer, heat the hot water tank to 65°C using the solar surplus with an Ohmpilot (CHF 800), and add a battery (10 kWh) to transfer the day's surplus to the evening.
Step 4: Resell the surplus to the network
The electricity that your panels produce and that you do not consume is injected into the network if your installation is connected and accepted by the GRD. Your local distributor will take it back at the published price for the year and contract concerned. This is not the main gain: it is a potential income to be recalculated according to the recovery tariff, the volume injected and the conditions of the DSO.
Step 5: Sell at high price via an RCP to your neighbors
The highest resale income does not come from the network, but from your neighbors or tenants via a Grouping within the Framework of Clean Consumption (RCP). In an RCP, you sell energy directly to other consumers in the building at an internal rate — typically between CHF 0.14 and 0.20/kWh, or 2–3x the grid feed-in tariff, while remaining lower than the grid tariff for buyers. It's a win-win situation: you earn more on your surplus, and your neighbors/tenants pay less for their electricity. The legal arrangement is governed by the Swiss energy law (LENe/EnG).