Contents
Thousands of solar power producers switched to CKW last fall because they paid more. Now comes the disappointment.
Autumn 2022: All of Switzerland is talking about an energy crisis. Electricity prices are higher than ever. The Centralschweizerische Kraftwerke (CKW) seize this opportunity. They offer owners of solar systems a lot of money for their excess electricity, i.e. the electricity that is not required for personal use and is fed into the power grid.
Rush to the CKW
CKW’s goal: to gain as many new solar power producers as possible. The bill goes on. Around 3000 owners of solar systems have ended their cooperation with their local energy supplier and switched to CKW.
But now, just a few months later, it is clear that CKW now pays low tariffs itself. They paid more than 30 centimes per kilowatt hour for fed-in solar power in the autumn. At the moment it’s a little more than ten centimes.
Questionable pricing policy
The association for solar energy Swissolar states that the solar power producers have to face up to such fluctuations on the electricity market. The solar power industry wants to stand on its own two feet. Protection against price fluctuations is therefore rejected.
It is indeed questionable that such large price fluctuations are passed on.
Swissolar’s managing director, David Stickelberger, is nevertheless irritated by the behavior of CKW: “It is actually questionable that such large price fluctuations are passed on and that the impression is given that the price remains so high. It was actually clear that the price could not remain so high. »
This is anything but a marketing coup.
When asked about this criticism, CKW Managing Director Martin Schwab refers to electricity prices, which have fallen in recent months due to the mild winter. «Last autumn we communicated very clearly that we pay market prices and that the tariff depends on what the market allows. Of course, this means that we pay high compensation when the price is high and low compensation when the price is low.”
CKW denies marketing prank
Critics say that CKW took advantage of the high electricity prices in autumn to lure thousands of solar power producers away from other Swiss energy suppliers. But Martin Schwab doesn’t want to know anything about a marketing prank. “This is anything but a marketing coup. Last but not least, this has led to other electricity companies that purchase solar power raising their tariffs. That was very good for solar power producers.”
Politicians are also currently dealing with this issue. The federal parliament wants to introduce a nationwide uniform tariff for solar power. Price fluctuations would then still be possible. That one energy supplier pays much more for fed-in solar power than another, but no more.