Peak Sun Hours in Shantou, Guangdong, China
- Solar zone
- Zone 3 (good)
- Best month
- July (5.5)
- Worst month
- January (3.2)
- Climate
- Tropical · 22.2°C
Monthly solar breakdown
| Month | GHI | Clear-sky | DNI | DHI | Temp °C | Humid % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3.17 | 4.45 | 2.99 | 1.48 | 14.8 | 77 |
| Feb | 3.24 | 5.11 | 2.25 | 1.73 | 16.0 | 79 |
| Mar | 3.49 | 5.65 | 1.91 | 1.93 | 18.3 | 80 |
| Apr | 3.86 | 6.29 | 1.81 | 2.19 | 21.7 | 82 |
| May | 4.25 | 7.02 | 2.03 | 2.38 | 24.9 | 85 |
| Jun | 4.50 | 7.25 | 2.27 | 2.50 | 27.0 | 88 |
| Jul | 5.45 | 7.35 | 3.57 | 2.59 | 27.9 | 88 |
| Aug | 5.09 | 6.90 | 3.17 | 2.47 | 27.8 | 87 |
| Sep | 4.75 | 6.27 | 3.18 | 2.30 | 26.9 | 84 |
| Oct | 4.38 | 5.46 | 3.68 | 1.89 | 24.0 | 78 |
| Nov | 3.57 | 4.67 | 3.46 | 1.55 | 20.7 | 78 |
| Dec | 3.20 | 4.21 | 3.47 | 1.37 | 16.4 | 75 |
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 3.17 kWh/m²/day, 0.77 system efficiency.
About solar in Shantou
Shantou, China has a warm, tropical climate with a distinct wet and dry season. Its annual peak sun hours average 4.08 kWh/m²/day, a good solar resource by global standards.
The strongest month in Shantou is July (summer) at 5.45 kWh/m²/day, and the weakest is January (winter) at 3.17 kWh/m²/day. When sizing a year-round off-grid system, it's standard practice to design against the January value rather than the annual average — otherwise the battery bank runs low during the darkest weeks.
Shantou'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 Shantou?
- Shantou averages 4.08 peak sun hours per day annually, ranging from 3.17 in January to 5.45 in July.
- How many solar panels do I need in Shantou?
- Panel count depends on your daily load. At Shantou's annual average of 4.08 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 Shantou?
- Sizing against Shantou's worst month (January, 3.17 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 Shantou's solar resource compare globally?
- Shantou sits in solar zone 3 out of 5 (where 5 is strongest) at 4.08 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 Shantou?
- Shantou's dry-season output peaks at 5.45 kWh/m²/day in July; the wet season drops it to 3.17 in January. That ~56% swing is a key sizing consideration.
- Can solar panels survive tropical storms in Shantou?
- Most tier-1 PV panels are rated for 140+ mph wind loads; mounting hardware usually fails first. In cyclone-prone regions like China, specify IEC 61215-certified panels and anchor-bolt mounts rather than ballasted.
- What's the dry-to-wet output gap in Shantou?
- Shantou swings from 5.45 kWh/m²/day in July (dry) to 3.17 in January (wet) — roughly 56%. Year-round off-grid systems must size against the wet-season minimum.