Peak Sun Hours in Delhi, Delhi, India
- Solar zone
- Zone 3 (good)
- Best month
- May (6.7)
- Worst month
- December (3.0)
- Climate
- Tropical · 25.6°C
Monthly solar breakdown
| Month | GHI | Clear-sky | DNI | DHI | Temp °C | Humid % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3.09 | 3.61 | 2.87 | 1.53 | 13.6 | 44 |
| Feb | 4.35 | 4.76 | 4.23 | 1.77 | 17.4 | 41 |
| Mar | 5.65 | 6.03 | 5.21 | 2.03 | 23.6 | 33 |
| Apr | 6.58 | 6.97 | 5.35 | 2.46 | 30.4 | 24 |
| May | 6.71 | 7.19 | 4.56 | 2.83 | 35.0 | 23 |
| Jun | 6.09 | 6.89 | 3.28 | 3.03 | 35.9 | 36 |
| Jul | 5.01 | 6.61 | 2.04 | 2.92 | 32.3 | 63 |
| Aug | 4.89 | 6.43 | 2.45 | 2.65 | 29.8 | 75 |
| Sep | 5.06 | 5.87 | 3.67 | 2.26 | 28.3 | 69 |
| Oct | 4.66 | 4.80 | 4.13 | 1.89 | 25.2 | 51 |
| Nov | 3.58 | 3.72 | 3.34 | 1.63 | 20.1 | 43 |
| Dec | 3.03 | 3.31 | 3.16 | 1.41 | 15.2 | 42 |
GHI, Clear-sky, DNI, DHI in kWh/m²/day. Data: NASA POWER climatology (long-term monthly averages).
Off-grid calculator
Add appliances
- Add an appliance to size a system.
Sizing
- Daily load
- 0.00 kWh
- Panel wattage
- 0 W
- Panel count (400W modules)
- 0
- Battery bank
- 0.0 kWh
Sizing against worst-month PSH of 3.03 kWh/m²/day, 0.77 system efficiency.
About solar in Delhi
Delhi, India has a warm, tropical climate with a distinct wet and dry season. Its annual peak sun hours average 4.89 kWh/m²/day, a good solar resource by global standards.
The strongest month in Delhi is May (spring) at 6.71 kWh/m²/day, and the weakest is December (winter) at 3.03 kWh/m²/day. When sizing a year-round off-grid system, it's standard practice to design against the December value rather than the annual average — otherwise the battery bank runs low during the darkest weeks.
Delhi's solar conditions are well within the range where off-grid PV is a straightforward engineering exercise with standard-sized arrays and lithium batteries.
FAQ
- What are the peak sun hours in Delhi?
- Delhi averages 4.89 peak sun hours per day annually, ranging from 3.03 in December to 6.71 in May.
- How many solar panels do I need in Delhi?
- Panel count depends on your daily load. At Delhi's annual average of 4.89 kWh/m²/day, a 5 kWh/day load needs roughly 4 × 400 W panels. Use the calculator above for your actual load.
- What size battery do I need in Delhi?
- Sizing against Delhi's worst month (December, 3.03 kWh/m²/day) with 2 days of autonomy at 80% depth of discharge, a 5 kWh/day load needs about a 12.5 kWh battery bank.
- How does Delhi's solar resource compare globally?
- Delhi sits in solar zone 3 out of 5 (where 5 is strongest) at 4.89 kWh/m²/day — good by global standards. For reference, top-tier desert sites average ~6.5 and high-latitude cities around 2.5 kWh/m²/day.
- How does the wet season affect solar generation in Delhi?
- Delhi's dry-season output peaks at 6.71 kWh/m²/day in May; the wet season drops it to 3.03 in December. That ~75% swing is a key sizing consideration.
- Can solar panels survive tropical storms in Delhi?
- Most tier-1 PV panels are rated for 140+ mph wind loads; mounting hardware usually fails first. In cyclone-prone regions like India, specify IEC 61215-certified panels and anchor-bolt mounts rather than ballasted.
- What's the dry-to-wet output gap in Delhi?
- Delhi swings from 6.71 kWh/m²/day in May (dry) to 3.03 in December (wet) — roughly 75%. Year-round off-grid systems must size against the wet-season minimum.