Establishment of an RCP

Definition and General Operation

Since 2018, with the entry into force of the amendment to the Energy Act (LEne), it is possible to create Self-Consumption Groups (RCP) in Switzerland. An RCP allows several final electricity consumers to join together to form a single consumer and client in the eyes of the electricity distribution network operator (GRD), with the aim of consuming the common photovoltaic electricity production, generated for example on the roof of their building.

An RCP is traditionally constituted within a single building, with a single GRD meter installed at the building's electrical input. The owner or the community of co-owners (PPE) then becomes the electricity supplier for the residents, who renounce their basic supply from the GRD. Appointed as the RCP manager, the owner then mandates a company, such as Climkit, for the management of metering and billing within the RCP.

From January 1, 2025, it will be possible to establish an RCP with neighboring buildings using the distribution network to exchange the produced solar electricity. In this case, the GRD creates a virtual meter that results from the sum of the GRD meters installed in each building, thus allowing the issuance of a single bill. This is referred to as a virtual RCP. Apart from these differences in general metering, the rules for formation and operation remain the same, whether an RCP is composed of one or multiple buildings.

The RCP is considered a single client, and its manager is the only contact point with the GRD, which invoices the electricity consumed by the RCP and compensates, at the feed-in tariff, the surplus solar energy reinjected. If several GRD meters are used for metering, the usage and maintenance costs of these meters are also billed to the RCP.

Conditions for Implementation

To establish an RCP, the following conditions must be strictly met:

• The total photovoltaic (PV) power must correspond to at least 10% of the power fed into the network. For example, a building of 125 A must be equipped with a PV installation of at least 8.7 kWp, which represents about twenty photovoltaic panels.
• If the RCP is established in an existing building, written consent from interested residents is required to join the RCP.
• If the RCP is made up of multiple buildings, these must be connected to the same coupling point of the low-voltage network (<1 kVA).

Steps for Implementation

1. Initial Verification with the GRD

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

2. Application for Constitution and Appointment of the Manager

The application for the establishment of the RCP is made by the electrical installer mandated by the owner during the application for connection of the building or the production installation via the dedicated form provided by the GRD and signed by all future members of the RCP.

A manager and point of contact for the RCP with the GRD must also be appointed. This is generally the owner or the PPE. In cases where the RCP is made up of buildings with different owners, they must agree to designate one. It is generally the one who has the main PV installation and seeks to resell their production to the residents of neighboring buildings through this expanded RCP. It is recommended to establish an agreement among the owners regarding how the RCP will be operated.

The GRD then has three months to review the application. Residents who do not wish to join the RCP remain clients of the GRD, and the GRD will deduct their consumption from the overall bill to the GRD without needing to modify the wiring. Once this person leaves the building, 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 consent of each tenant. In the context of a PPE, the agreement of each co-owner is required. The letter template below can be used to inform residents and collect their consent for the creation of an RCP:

• Download the tenant information letter template (Word)

In a New Building

If the premises are free of any lease at the time of the RCP constitution (for example, during a move 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 rental contract or specified in a separate electricity supply contract.

3. Planning the Metering System

GRD meters can be used for internal metering of the RCP, even if consumers have renounced their individual connections. Due to the high monthly cost of GRD meters (CHF 6 to 10 per month), it is advisable to limit their use as much as possible, especially on building introductions, and to prioritize the installation of private meters for measuring internal consumption (apartments and common areas) as well as the production from various photovoltaic installations.

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

Planning the metering system is a crucial aspect that requires a thorough assessment of the situation, taking into account the one-time installation costs and the 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 the installation work.

4. Installation and Commissioning

The installer proceeds with the installation of the photovoltaic panels and the modifications to the metering system, including the removal of GRD meters, the installation of new private meters, as well as the potential preparation of locations for introducing and producing GRD meters.

Data Retrieval from GRD Meters

To manage the RCP, if several GRD meters are retained, Climkit will need their readings in the same way it collects data from private meters. Climkit therefore coordinates with the GRD to organize the daily and digital transfer (via FTP) of data from the GRD meters in the standardized SDAT-CH format (Ebix) to the Climkit platform. A one-time fee is charged based on the number of meters to carry out this integration.

5. Administrative Setup

Climkit contacts the responsible owner of the RCP to establish the management contract and settle the necessary administrative arrangements for the operation of the RCP, such as defining billing rates and the list of members. The owner also signs a power of attorney allowing the GRD to send its invoice directly to Climkit.

6. Operational Phase

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

If the owner has opted for the full operation method, Climkit directly invoices the consumers and manages the payments. Through the power of attorney signed with the GRD, Climkit periodically receives and pays the invoice related to the RCP's consumption. Once a year, a statement is issued in favor of the responsible owner of the RCP to allocate revenues related to the sale of solar electricity.

In cases where multiple photovoltaic installations belonging to different owners are part of the RCP, the annual statement clearly details the production of each installation, thus enabling the distribution of revenues among the owners according to their own agreement.