Switzerland’s Federal Council decided on February 25, 2026 to put most parts of the draft law on speeding up procedures into effect from April 1. This means that big renewable energy projects in Switzerland will be able to move forward more quickly. The Federal Assembly had passed the law on September 26, 2025, making amendments to the Energy Act. These changes will streamline the government’s approval process for solar, wind, and hydroelectric projects. At the same time, steps will be taken to make the planning and permitting processes for grid expansion and related appeals more efficient. This will make it easier for renewable energy projects to get the necessary approvals.
One of the main parts of the reform is that cantons must set up a single plan approval process for solar and wind renewable energy projects. The canton where a project is taking place will now be in charge of coordinating and issuing all the cantonal and municipal permits needed for construction, expansion, or restoration in one process. For solar, wind, and hydroelectric projects vital to the country, appeals at the cantonal level will only be heard by the superior cantonal court. This will speed up the process and make it easier to resolve disputes.
The new law will go into effect on April 1, 2026, save for two changes that have to do with the feed-in tariff for renewable electricity at the point of injection and the minimum feed-in prices for installations under 150 kW. The Energy Ordinance’s provisions are still being worked on, and they won’t go into effect until later. These procedures show that there is a coordinated effort to speed up renewable energy projects while yet keeping an eye on the rules.
The National Survey Report of PV Power Applications in Switzerland published in October by International Energy Agency Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme stated that by the end of 2024, photovoltaics had produced 5.96 TWh of electricity, which is 10.36% of the country’s total electricity use. The research also said that by the end of 2024, the total amount of solar energy produced in Switzerland had reached 8.17 GW, thanks to the installation of 1,799 MW during the year.
