Background
#A LEG in Lucerne allows solar power to be shared between several properties when participants are connected in the same municipality, the same distribution grid area and at the same voltage level.
In the standard case, this means the City of Lucerne in the ewl area; elsewhere in the canton, the responsible grid operator, such as CKW, determines the grid topology and registration route. The community’s production capacity must reach at least 5% of the combined connection capacity of all participating end consumers, and every connection needs a smart meter. ewl states that a missing smart meter and the formation of a LEG take at least 3 months. A PV system alone does not create a LEG: roles, agreement, metering and billing must be clarified before registration.
What drives the economics
#The grid operator and municipal boundary come first. Art. 17d StromVG enables LEG throughout Switzerland, but ewl and CKW determine the concrete grid topology in their own supply areas. An address in the City of Lucerne is therefore checked differently from a property in the CKW area outside the city; a canton-wide LEG cannot be assumed.
The 5% rule refers to connection capacity, not roof area. ewl gives the example of 100 kW of combined connection capacity requiring at least 5 kWp of installed PV capacity. Adding further consumption sites increases the reference value, so production capacity must be recalculated under Art. 19e StromVV.
Smart meters are a prerequisite for metering. When a membership application is submitted, ewl installs a missing smart meter free of charge within 3 months; the same metering requirement belongs in the initial check for a CKW LEG. Without meter data, solar production, consumption and LEG electricity cannot be billed correctly.
LEG, ZEV and vZEV require different planning decisions. The January 2026 SFOE overview describes a LEG as using the public distribution grid; ZEV and vZEV rely on different connection and metering concepts. Simply treating an existing self-consumption arrangement as a LEG can lead to the wrong topology or billing model.
The internal agreement must exist before the application. Art. 19f StromVV requires written rules covering, among other things, representation, remuneration for locally generated electricity, administration and billing, and entry and exit. CKW refers to LEGHub for registration and administration; in the ewl area, formation also uses the LEGhub process.
Economics depend on more than the feed-in tariff. The SFOE overview states that the LEG or its representative sets the terms for internal electricity distribution; ewl identifies lower electricity costs and higher revenues as possible effects. Solar-power pricing, residual supply, grid use and billing therefore need to be modelled together.
The process in six steps
#Tick off for your project
Check the supply area and topology
first identify the responsible distribution grid operator for every interested address. In the City of Lucerne, ewl is the relevant contact; elsewhere, CKW or another utility may be responsible depending on the location. The municipality and voltage level must fit the LEG requirements together.
Record participants and roles
list PV producers, electricity-only consumers and any storage operators by name. Art. 17d StromVG permits these roles in a LEG; the allocation determines which production and consumption data later enter the billing model.
Calculate the production ratio
compare installed PV production capacity with the combined connection capacity of all participating end consumers. With 100 kW of connection capacity, the ewl example requires at least 5 kWp of PV capacity; Art. 19e StromVV is the governing reference for the 5% check.
Prepare metering
document the smart-meter status of every connection and initiate installation with the responsible grid operator. ewl states that a missing device is installed free of charge within 3 months; with CKW, the applicable process and dates must be confirmed before registration.
Define the agreement and billing
prepare the written agreement under Art. 19f StromVV before filing. It should set out representation, the internal solar-power price, data-processing and billing costs, entry and exit, and the treatment of residual supply and surpluses; LEGHub and ewl provide the practical process for this.
Register the LEG with the grid operator and link the PV project
submit the formation or registration request with addresses, technical system data and the representative. ewl creates the LEG for the requested date, no earlier than within 3 months; CKW uses LEGHub for registration. Only then should PV sizing, storage options and internal price assumptions be fixed as one economic model.
Checked for your roof, not just read up on
Once the framing is clear, a property-specific check with roof, grid and documentation is worthwhile.
Frequently asked questions
#Sources
#The responsible authorities are decisive. Always verify binding details – amounts, deadlines and conditions – for your specific property against the current status of the respective authority.