Commissioning of an RCP

Definition and General Operation

Since 2018, with the entry into force of the revision of the Energy Act (EnA), it is possible to create Self-consumption communities (RCP) in Switzerland. An RCP allows several final electricity consumers to be united into a single consumer and a single customer in the eyes of the Distribution system operator (DSO), with the aim of consuming common Photovoltaic (PV) production, produced for example on the roof of their building.

An RCP is traditionally formed within a single building, with a single DSO meter installed at the building's electrical feed-in. The owner or the association of co-owners (PPE) then becomes the electricity supplier for the residents, who waive their basic supply from the DSO. Named as the RCP manager, the owner then mandates a company, such as Climkit, for the management of metering and billing within the RCP.

Since January 1, 2025, it is possible to form an RCP with neighboring buildings using the distribution grid to exchange the solar electricity produced. In this case, the DSO creates a virtual meter that results from the sum of the DSO meters installed in each building, thus allowing for a single invoice. This is referred to as a virtual RCP. Apart from these differences in general metering, the rules for formation and operation are the same, whether an RCP consists of one or several buildings.

The RCP is considered a single customer, and its manager is the sole point of contact for the DSO, which bills the electricity drawn by the RCP and remunerates the injected solar surplus at the feed-in tariff. If several DSO meters are used for metering, the usage and maintenance fees for these meters are also billed to the RCP.

Conditions for Commissioning

To set up an RCP, the following conditions must imperatively be met:

• The total Photovoltaic (PV) production power must correspond to at least 10% of the grid connection power. For example, a building with a connection capacity of 125 A must be equipped with a PV system of at least 8.7 kWp, which represents about twenty photovoltaic panels.
• If the RCP is set up in an existing building, the written agreement of the residents interested in joining the RCP is required.
• If the RCP is formed between several buildings, they must be connected to the same coupling point on the low-voltage grid (< 1 kV).

Steps for Commissioning

1. Initial Verification with the DSO

If several buildings are involved, it is necessary to consult the DSO by providing the address of the main building, for example, the one where a new photovoltaic system is planned to be installed. The DSO should be asked to identify neighboring buildings that can participate in the RCP. This request can be made by any interested person. The DSO responds within 14 days with a list of eligible buildings based on the electrical grid topology.

2. Request for Formation and Designation of the Person in Charge

The request to form the RCP is made by the electrical installer mandated by the owner, during the request for connection of the building or the production facility, via the dedicated form provided by the DSO and signed by all future members of the RCP.

A manager and point of contact for the RCP vis-à-vis the DSO must also be designated. This is generally the owner or the PPE. In the case where the RCP consists of several buildings with different owners, they must agree to designate one. It is usually the one who has the main PV installation and who seeks, through this expanded RCP, to resell their production to the residents of neighboring buildings. It is recommended to establish an agreement between the owners on how the RCP will be operated.

The DSO then has three months to examine the request. Residents not wishing to join the RCP remain customers of the DSO, and the DSO deducts their consumption from the global invoice addressed to the RCP without the need to modify the wiring. When one of these residents leaves the accommodation, their apartment can easily be integrated into the RCP.

In an Existing Building

If the RCP is established in a building with existing leases, it is essential to obtain the agreement of each tenant. In the context of a PPE, the agreement of each co-owner is necessary. The letter template below can be used to inform residents and collect their consent for the creation of an RCP:

• Download the letter template to inform tenants (Word)

In a New Building

If the premises are free of any lease at the time of the RCP's formation (for example, during a move-in or in the case of a new building), the owner can require new tenants to join the RCP. This obligation can be integrated into the lease agreement or stipulated in a separate electricity supply contract.

3. Planning the Metering System

DSO meters can be used for internal RCP metering, even if consumers have waived their individual connection. Due to the high monthly cost of DSO meters (CHF 6 to 10 per month), it is advisable to limit them as much as possible, particularly at building feed-ins, and to prioritize the installation of private meters to measure internal consumption (apartments and common areas) as well as the production of the various photovoltaic installations.

Furthermore, private meters offer significant advantages: in case of failure or dispute over metering, the owner can directly call an independent electrical installer without depending on the DSO. Moreover, unlike DSO meters, which only transmit data once a day, private meters can allow real-time monitoring, essential for adjusting consumption habits and optimizing the use of solar production.

Planning the metering system is a crucial aspect that requires a careful evaluation of the situation, taking into account one-time installation costs and recurring costs that will be borne by the owner and consumers during the operational phase. All these elements must be determined by the owner and their representatives, engineers, and electrical installers, before the start of installation work.

4. Installation and Commissioning

The installer proceeds with the installation of the photovoltaic panels and modifications to the metering system, including the removal of DSO meters, the installation of new private meters, as well as the potential preparation of locations for the grid-in and production DSO meters.

DSO Meter Data Retrieval

To manage the RCP, if several DSO meters are retained, Climkit needs their readings, which it collects in the same way as data from private meters. Climkit therefore coordinates with the DSO to organize the daily and digital transfer (via FTP) of DSO meter data in the standardized SDAT-CH (Ebix) format to the Climkit platform. A one-time flat fee, calculated based on the number of meters, is billed to perform this integration.

5. Administrative Setup

Climkit contacts the owner responsible for the RCP to establish the management contract and settle the administrative details necessary for the RCP's operation, such as defining billing rates and establishing the list of members. The owner also signs a proxy allowing the DSO to send its invoice directly to Climkit.

6. Operational Phase

The RCP then enters the operational phase, and Climkit manages the RCP by generating individual statements for consumers based on their consumption recorded from private meters and DSO meters. For each consumer, the share of electricity from the photovoltaic installation is distinguished from that coming from the grid.

If the owner has opted for the full management method, Climkit bills consumers directly and manages payments. Thanks to the proxy signed with the DSO, Climkit receives and periodically pays the invoice related to the RCP's grid withdrawal. Once a year, an annual statement is established in favor of the owner responsible for the RCP to allocate the income related to the sale of solar electricity.

In the case where several photovoltaic installations belonging to different owners are part of the RCP, the annual statement clearly details the production of each installation, thus allowing for the distribution of income between the owners according to their own agreement.