Peak Sun Hours in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
- Solar zone
- Zone 4 (excellent)
- Best month
- May (7.2)
- Worst month
- December (4.1)
- Climate
- Tropical · 26.1°C
Monthly solar breakdown
| Month | GHI | Clear-sky | DNI | DHI | Temp °C | Humid % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4.38 | 4.57 | 5.06 | 1.57 | 19.6 | 51 |
| Feb | 5.35 | 5.51 | 5.66 | 1.79 | 21.3 | 55 |
| Mar | 6.34 | 6.52 | 5.85 | 2.17 | 24.6 | 62 |
| Apr | 7.00 | 7.18 | 5.51 | 2.63 | 27.6 | 68 |
| May | 7.15 | 7.36 | 4.87 | 2.99 | 29.6 | 73 |
| Jun | 6.54 | 7.08 | 3.70 | 3.18 | 30.5 | 73 |
| Jul | 5.28 | 6.62 | 1.98 | 3.15 | 29.7 | 76 |
| Aug | 5.21 | 6.59 | 2.39 | 2.93 | 28.5 | 78 |
| Sep | 5.79 | 6.30 | 4.26 | 2.50 | 28.1 | 75 |
| Oct | 5.58 | 5.69 | 5.86 | 1.73 | 27.6 | 66 |
| Nov | 4.62 | 4.71 | 5.41 | 1.49 | 25.0 | 54 |
| Dec | 4.13 | 4.27 | 5.13 | 1.41 | 21.2 | 47 |
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 4.13 kWh/m²/day, 0.77 system efficiency.
About solar in Karachi
Karachi, Pakistan has a warm, tropical climate with a distinct wet and dry season. Its annual peak sun hours average 5.61 kWh/m²/day, a excellent solar resource by global standards.
The strongest month in Karachi is May (spring) at 7.15 kWh/m²/day, and the weakest is December (winter) at 4.13 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.
Karachi'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 Karachi?
- Karachi averages 5.61 peak sun hours per day annually, ranging from 4.13 in December to 7.15 in May.
- How many solar panels do I need in Karachi?
- Panel count depends on your daily load. At Karachi's annual average of 5.61 kWh/m²/day, a 5 kWh/day load needs roughly 3 × 400 W panels. Use the calculator above for your actual load.
- What size battery do I need in Karachi?
- Sizing against Karachi's worst month (December, 4.13 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 Karachi's solar resource compare globally?
- Karachi sits in solar zone 4 out of 5 (where 5 is strongest) at 5.61 kWh/m²/day — excellent 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 Karachi?
- Karachi's dry-season output peaks at 7.15 kWh/m²/day in May; the wet season drops it to 4.13 in December. That ~54% swing is a key sizing consideration.
- Can solar panels survive tropical storms in Karachi?
- Most tier-1 PV panels are rated for 140+ mph wind loads; mounting hardware usually fails first. In cyclone-prone regions like Pakistan, specify IEC 61215-certified panels and anchor-bolt mounts rather than ballasted.
- What's the dry-to-wet output gap in Karachi?
- Karachi swings from 7.15 kWh/m²/day in May (dry) to 4.13 in December (wet) — roughly 54%. Year-round off-grid systems must size against the wet-season minimum.