BKW, one of Switzerland's largest distribution grid operators, has announced plans to introduce a dynamic "sunshine tariff" for residential and commercial customers starting April 2027. The initiative will offer grid usage fee discounts of up to 40% during periods of forecasted high solar irradiance.
The "Sonne scheint" (Sunshine) tariff will run from April through September 2027. Based on regional solar forecasts, customers can benefit from reduced grid fees between 13:00 and 17:00 - with a 40% discount on expected sunny days and 20% when light cloud cover is forecast. Discount levels will vary by region and will be determined based on weather predictions provided by MeteoSwiss, Switzerland's federal meteorological service, with next-day rates announced in advance.
To account for regional differences in sunshine patterns, the scheme applies a balancing mechanism: areas with less sunlight will receive larger but less frequent discounts, while sunnier regions will see smaller but more frequent reductions. The primary objective is to encourage customers to shift electricity consumption - such as EV charging, heat pump operation, and water heating - to times when solar generation is abundant, thereby reducing strain on the grid.
Participation in the tariff is voluntary. Customers are not required to own a PV system or smart home setup, but they must have a smart meter provided by the utility to enable accurate time-of-use measurement. Energy management systems can automatically schedule larger loads to run during discount windows.
BKW describes the offering as a dynamic grid usage fee designed to reward customers for consuming electricity when solar supply is plentiful, promoting grid-friendly utilisation of locally generated solar power. The programme will open for registration in five pilot regions this autumn.
In a related development, BKW announced in May 2026 that it would transition to a market-based compensation model for solar power fed into the grid, effective mid-2026. Customers can voluntarily switch from the existing feed-in tariff to a dynamic payment system linked to the Swiss day-ahead spot market. This model is designed to incentivise PV owners to increase self-consumption when prices are low or negative, and to export to the grid when prices are high.
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