Peak Sun Hours in Ürümqi, Xinjiang, China
- Solar zone
- Zone 3 (good)
- Best month
- June (6.3)
- Worst month
- December (1.8)
- Climate
- Temperate · 10.7°C
Monthly solar breakdown
| Month | GHI | Clear-sky | DNI | DHI | Temp °C | Humid % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2.10 | 2.61 | 3.14 | 1.15 | -6.7 | 64 |
| Feb | 3.05 | 3.78 | 3.89 | 1.62 | -3.4 | 60 |
| Mar | 4.21 | 5.23 | 4.59 | 2.03 | 4.7 | 48 |
| Apr | 5.35 | 6.78 | 5.14 | 2.17 | 12.6 | 44 |
| May | 6.17 | 7.97 | 5.56 | 2.39 | 18.7 | 39 |
| Jun | 6.30 | 8.34 | 5.26 | 2.56 | 24.3 | 38 |
| Jul | 6.18 | 8.03 | 5.40 | 2.40 | 26.5 | 37 |
| Aug | 5.76 | 7.10 | 5.67 | 2.07 | 25.2 | 35 |
| Sep | 4.94 | 5.75 | 5.93 | 1.59 | 19.1 | 36 |
| Oct | 3.54 | 4.14 | 5.07 | 1.23 | 10.7 | 44 |
| Nov | 2.16 | 2.83 | 3.58 | 0.95 | 2.1 | 54 |
| Dec | 1.79 | 2.27 | 3.13 | 0.89 | -4.9 | 61 |
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 1.79 kWh/m²/day, 0.77 system efficiency.
About solar in Ürümqi
Ürümqi, China has a temperate climate with meaningful seasonal variation in solar resource. Its annual peak sun hours average 4.3 kWh/m²/day, a good solar resource by global standards.
The strongest month in Ürümqi is June (summer) at 6.3 kWh/m²/day, and the weakest is December (winter) at 1.79 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.
Ürümqi'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 Ürümqi?
- Ürümqi averages 4.3 peak sun hours per day annually, ranging from 1.79 in December to 6.3 in June.
- How many solar panels do I need in Ürümqi?
- Panel count depends on your daily load. At Ürümqi's annual average of 4.3 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 Ürümqi?
- Sizing against Ürümqi's worst month (December, 1.79 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 Ürümqi's solar resource compare globally?
- Ürümqi sits in solar zone 3 out of 5 (where 5 is strongest) at 4.3 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 much does winter reduce solar output in Ürümqi?
- Ürümqi's worst month (December) delivers 1.79 kWh/m²/day — about 28% of the summer peak of 6.3. Off-grid systems here typically oversize 1.5–2× or pair with a backup source.
- Do cloudy days significantly affect Ürümqi's solar?
- Partly. Diffuse light still produces 10–25% of clear-sky output. Ürümqi's 4.3 kWh/m²/day already reflects average cloudiness, so no further derating is needed for sizing.
- What panel tilt works best in Ürümqi?
- At Ürümqi's latitude (44°), a fixed tilt near 44° balances year-round yield. Winter-heavy loads favor latitude + 15°; summer-heavy, latitude − 15°.