Solar subsidies in Geneva in 2026: Pronovo, SIG's Prime solaire and the rest

Geneva is the canton of French-speaking Switzerland where you hear the widest range of figures about solar subsidies, because three players overlap there: the Confederation, the canton and SIG, the Services industriels. Only one pays a direct grant for private photovoltaics, and it is not the canton. Here is what applies in 2026.

The base: Pronovo’s one-off remuneration

As everywhere in Switzerland, the Confederation pays a one-off remuneration after commissioning: 360 francs per kWp up to 30 kWp, 300 francs per kWp above that, for an installation added to an existing roof, with bonuses for integrated, steeply tilted or high-altitude installations. On 10 kWp, around 3’600 francs. The rates are reviewed every year, Pronovo’s rate calculator gives the value of the day.

SIG’s Prime solaire, the Geneva top-up

SIG pays a Prime solaire to every new self-consumption photovoltaic installation in the canton, commissioned and certified by Pronovo after 1 January 2026. It is worth 25% of the federal one-off remuneration for installations from 2 to 30 kWp, and 15% from 30 to 100 kWp.

The example given by SIG for 30 kWp: an investment of 40’000 to 48’000 francs, a federal remuneration of 10’800 francs, a Prime solaire of 2’700 francs, so 13’500 francs of support. For a villa with 10 kWp, the bonus adds around 900 francs to the 3’600 francs from the Confederation. A battery bonus also exists, cumulative, capped at the first fifteen kWh.

Buying the surplus, above the market

This is the Geneva particularity that counts the most over time. Since 2026, the national feed-in price follows the market quarter by quarter, with a legal floor of 6 centimes under 30 kW. SIG buys the electricity injected by installations up to 100 kWp at 10.96 centimes per kWh excluding VAT in 2026, guarantee of origin included. On 5’000 kWh of surplus per year, the gap with the floor represents around 250 francs.

What the canton does, and does not do

The canton of Geneva has no direct subsidy for private photovoltaic panels in 2026. It supports replacing fossil heating systems with a heat pump, with a flat 3’000 francs plus 400 francs per thermal kW for an air-to-water heat pump, and it makes solar compulsory on new buildings and during certain renovations. Several municipalities, Carouge, Meyrin, Vernier or Onex among others, have had one-off programmes, to be checked with the municipality before signing.

The tax deduction

On an existing building, the net cost of the installation is deducted from taxable income as maintenance expenses, in the year of payment. In Geneva, where tax rates are high, it is often the largest support of all.

The order of the steps

1. Any municipal grant is requested before the works.
2. Pronovo is requested after commissioning, with the grid connection certificate, generally through the installer.
3. SIG’s Prime solaire is requested once Pronovo certification has been obtained.
4. The net invoice goes into the tax return for the year of payment.

SOLARSPLIT’s free online study calculates the one-off remuneration for your Geneva roof and estimates your self-consumption, the figure that decides profitability far more than the bonuses. And to compare the offers afterwards, reading a quote remains the skill that pays the most.