18 September 2026
The application for one-off remuneration does not work the same way for every photovoltaic system: under 100 kW it is filed only once the system is built — from 100 kW beforehand, in return for an assurance in principle. Mixing the two up risks an application that is automatically deemed withdrawn.
"Do we file the application now, or only once the system is running?" is not a question of caution but of system size. The one-off remuneration (EIV, Einmalvergütung) is a one-time federal contribution to the investment costs of a photovoltaic system, paid out by the enforcement agency Pronovo. The Energy Promotion Ordinance (EnFV) provides two separate procedures for it, and they run in opposite order. Anyone who applies the procedure for the wrong size gets no error signal — the application is simply kept on the wrong waiting list or, at worst, deemed withdrawn.
What counts is the output of the system under Art. 4 EnFV. Large photovoltaic systems are those with an output of 100 kW or more, small systems those with less than 100 kW (Art. 7 paras. 1 and 2 let. a EnFV). An extension or renewal has its own rule, which works in the opposite direction to what one would first assume: if the output grows by less than 100 kW, the system remains small — even if the total output after the extension reaches 100 kW or more (Art. 7 para. 2 let. b EnFV). Only an extension or renewal that itself adds 100 kW or more of output makes the system count as large from that point on.
A contractor can also influence the classification: if the operator of a system of 100 kW or more waives remuneration of the output-related contribution for the portion of output above 100 kW, the system still counts as small (Art. 7 para. 3 EnFV). This matters because the procedure for small systems is simpler — waiving part of the remuneration can pay off if it saves an application before construction starts.
The application for one-off remuneration for small photovoltaic systems may only be submitted to the enforcement agency after the system has been commissioned (Art. 41 para. 1 EnFV). Before commissioning, nothing can be filed for a small system — unlike a large one.
Pronovo, as the enforcement agency, requires for this, depending on the system category: a current land register extract (not older than one year), the payment details and — for integrated systems — photos of the construction phase, of the edge connections and of the finished system, plus either the acceptance report or the safety certificate together with the installation firm's test report (Pronovo, "Submitting an application", as at August 2026). The application is made directly in the Pronovo customer portal, by the operator or by an authorised third party — in practice usually the electrical contractor.
⚠️ A trap that only springs if another application for the same system was already running. If an application to participate in the feed-in remuneration system (Art. 21 EnFV) or for one-off remuneration for a large system (Art. 43 EnFV) has already been filed for the same system, it is automatically deemed withdrawn by the new application under Art. 41 (Art. 41 para. 4 EnFV). This affects, for example, a system registered as a large system before construction but then built smaller: the later application under Art. 41 automatically cancels the earlier one, without any separate step being needed.
For systems of 100 kW or more it works the other way round. The application must be submitted to the enforcement agency (Art. 43 para. 1 EnFV) — and, unlike small systems, not only after commissioning: Art. 8 para. 2 EnFV expressly reserves the application after commissioning for small systems (Art. 41). If the category or output of the planned system changes after the application has been filed, the applicant must report it immediately (Art. 43 para. 3 EnFV).
If the requirements are likely to be met and sufficient funds are available, the enforcement agency gives an assurance in principle of the one-off remuneration by way of a ruling (Art. 44 EnFV). From that point a deadline runs: the system must be commissioned no later than 12 months after the assurance, or no later than 6 years after it if the spatial planning basis for its construction still has to be amended (Art. 45 para. 1 EnFV). Commissioning must be reported to the enforcement agency no later than three months afterwards (Art. 45 para. 2 EnFV). If the deadline cannot be met for reasons for which the applicant is not responsible, the enforcement agency may extend it on request — the request must be made before the original deadline expires (Art. 45 para. 4 EnFV).
The enforcement agency sets the final amount of the one-off remuneration only after receiving the complete commissioning notification, based on the system data certified under the guarantee-of-origin scheme (Art. 46 para. 1 EnFV).
If the available funds are not sufficient to consider all applications immediately, the enforcement agency keeps a separate waiting list each for small and for large photovoltaic systems (Art. 40 para. 3 EnFV). Within a list, the submission date generally counts; if several applications are submitted on the same day and not all of them can be considered, the projects with the largest additional output go first (Art. 39 EnFV). When funds become available again, the Swiss Federal Office of Energy decides to what extent systems move up from the two waiting lists (Art. 40 para. 4 EnFV).
Does an extension automatically turn my previously small system into a large one? Not merely because the total output then reaches 100 kW. If the extension or renewal itself adds less than 100 kW of output, the system remains small (Art. 7 para. 2 let. b EnFV) — what counts is the increase, not the new total output.
Can an application as a small system and one as a large system run at the same time for the same system? No. If the operator files an application under Art. 41 for a small system, an application previously filed under Art. 21 or 43 for the same system is automatically deemed withdrawn (Art. 41 para. 4 EnFV).
What counts if more applications arrive on one day than there are funds? Within the waiting list, the submission date decides first; if several applications arrive on the same day and not all of them can be considered, the projects with the largest additional output go first (Art. 39 EnFV).
What if a large system is already running before the assurance has been given? If the funds have already been allocated, the enforcement agency issues a ruling on the one-off remuneration directly as soon as the complete commissioning notification is available (Art. 46 para. 2 EnFV) — a case of its own alongside the standard procedure under Art. 44.
How a ZEV (self-consumption community) on the same system works out legally — threshold, tenants' rights, costs — is covered in the article "ZEV: the 10 percent, the timing and the costs". The deadlines that actually run for a system are calculated by the EIV deadline calculator. The Photovoltaics page gives an overview of the whole process, from assessing the potential to commissioning.
Sources: Energy Promotion Ordinance (EnFV, SR 730.03), as at 1 January 2023, Arts. 4, 7, 8, 39, 40, 41 and 43–46 — fedlex.admin.ch, accessed on 31 August 2026 and again on 18 September 2026 to verify Art. 7 para. 2 let. b and Art. 43 para. 1. Pronovo AG, "Submitting an application" and "Next steps for subsidised projects", pronovo.ch, accessed on 31 August 2026, for the practice of the customer portal and the documents to be submitted. This article is not legal advice; the enforcement agency Pronovo is responsible for assessing individual cases.
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