Contracts

Contracts define the commercial terms under which revenue is calculated for one or more power plants. Each contract specifies pricing rules, time validity, and the allocation between self-consumption and grid injection.

Revenue is calculated in 15-minute intervals. When metering data is available, it is used directly. If metering data is missing, the system falls back to inverter production data and applies the self-consumption share configured in the contract to estimate how much energy was self-consumed versus injected into the grid.

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Contract Types

Basic Contract

The standard contract type. For grid-injected energy, the user can choose:

• Fixed price – a fixed amount per MWh
• Dynamic price (spot market) – the current market price per MWh
• Both – for example, a dynamic market price with a fixed surcharge on top (such as for guarantees of origin)

It is also possible to configure:

• Self-consumption price

SFOE Minimal Retribution Contract

A specialized contract for the Swiss market that implements the new compensation model defined in the Energy Ordinance, Art. 12. Starting in 2027, grid operators compensate solar power at the hourly spot market price at the time of injection. Small PV and hydro plants below 150 kWp receive an investment protection in the form of a minimal retribution premium.

How the Mechanism Works

The plant receives the hourly spot market price for every kWh injected into the grid. On top of that, a minimal retribution premium guarantees a minimum average price. The premium is calculated as follows:

• A quarterly reference market price is determined as the average spot market price over the quarter.

• If this reference market price is below the legally defined minimal retribution for the plant, the difference is paid out as a premium per injected kWh:

  $$\text{Premium} = \text{Minimal Retribution} - \text{Quarterly Reference Market Price}$$

• If the reference market price is above the minimal retribution, no premium is paid.

This means producers are protected from low or negative market prices on average, but they still benefit from high spot prices.

Minimal Retribution Rates

The minimal retribution is defined in the Energy Ordinance, Art. 12, based on the plant's installed power and whether the plant has self-consumption:

Plant Type	Installed power	Minimal Retribution
Solar	< 30 kWp	6 Rp./kWh (60 CHF/MWh)
Solar with self-consumption	30 – 150 kWp	Proportional: 6 Rp./kWh for the portion below 30 kWp, 0 Rp./kWh for the portion above 30 kWp
Solar without self-consumption	30 – 150 kWp	6.2 Rp./kWh (62 CHF/MWh)
Hydro	< 150 kWp	12 Rp./kWh (120 CHF/MWh)

For solar plants with self-consumption between 30 and 150 kWp, the effective minimal retribution is calculated proportionally using the installed power $P_{\text{inst}}$ in kWp:

$$\text{Minimal Retribution} = \frac{1800}{P_{\text{inst}}} \text{ CHF/MWh}$$

This formula is equivalent to weighting the two portions: 6 Rp./kWh for the installed power below 30 kWp and 0 Rp./kWh for the installed power above 30 kWp. For example, a 45 kWp plant receives:

$$\frac{6 \text{ Rp./kWh} \times 30 \text{ kWp} + 0 \text{ Rp./kWh} \times 15 \text{ kWp}}{45 \text{ kWp}} = 4 \text{ Rp./kWh} = \frac{1800}{45} \text{ CHF/MWh}$$

This results in effective minimal retributions of 40 CHF/MWh for 45 kWp, 30 CHF/MWh for 60 kWp, and 20 CHF/MWh for 90 kWp.

Plants above 150 kWp do not receive any minimal retribution; the effective price equals the pure spot market price.

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Contract Fields

General

• Contract type – Basic or SFOE minimal retribution.
• Start date – First day the contract is active. If left empty, the contract is active from the beginning.
• End date – Last day the contract is active. If left empty, the contract remains active indefinitely.
• Currency – Currency used for all monetary values. SFOE contracts must use CHF.
• Power plants – One or more power plants covered by the contract.

Grid Injection Pricing

• Fixed price per MWh – The fixed tariff for grid-injected energy.
• Price area – Market price area for dynamic (spot) tariffs. Required when dynamic pricing is used.

Self-Consumption

• Self-consumption share – The percentage of produced energy that is considered self-consumed. This value is used as a fallback when no metering data is available.
• Self-consumption price per MWh – The price applied to self-consumed energy. Only relevant when the self-consumption share is greater than 0.

Revenue Categories

Revenue is calculated and stored per 15-minute interval in the following categories:

Revenue Category	Description
Grid Injection Fixed Price	Revenue from energy injected into the grid at the fixed tariff.
Grid Injection Spot	Revenue from energy injected into the grid at the dynamic spot market price (including any SFOE minimal retribution).
Self-consumption	Value of self-consumed energy.