Peak Sun Hours in Cienfuegos, Cienfuegos Province, Cuba
- Solar zone
- Zone 4 (excellent)
- Best month
- April (6.4)
- Worst month
- December (3.8)
- Climate
- Tropical · 27.0°C
Monthly solar breakdown
| Month | GHI | Clear-sky | DNI | DHI | Temp °C | Humid % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4.04 | 4.96 | 5.02 | 1.45 | 23.9 | 72 |
| Feb | 4.92 | 5.83 | 5.67 | 1.61 | 24.6 | 70 |
| Mar | 5.83 | 6.78 | 6.00 | 1.91 | 25.3 | 67 |
| Apr | 6.42 | 7.41 | 6.07 | 2.10 | 26.9 | 66 |
| May | 6.16 | 7.60 | 5.14 | 2.26 | 27.9 | 68 |
| Jun | 5.90 | 7.54 | 4.09 | 2.58 | 28.8 | 72 |
| Jul | 6.33 | 7.49 | 4.78 | 2.48 | 29.4 | 70 |
| Aug | 6.11 | 7.25 | 4.84 | 2.33 | 29.6 | 70 |
| Sep | 5.41 | 6.67 | 4.52 | 2.13 | 29.1 | 73 |
| Oct | 4.68 | 5.85 | 4.56 | 1.81 | 28.0 | 74 |
| Nov | 4.15 | 5.08 | 4.97 | 1.48 | 26.0 | 72 |
| Dec | 3.81 | 4.64 | 4.95 | 1.35 | 24.9 | 74 |
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 3.81 kWh/m²/day, 0.77 system efficiency.
About solar in Cienfuegos
Cienfuegos, Cuba has a warm, tropical climate with a distinct wet and dry season. Its annual peak sun hours average 5.31 kWh/m²/day, a excellent solar resource by global standards.
The strongest month in Cienfuegos is April (spring) at 6.42 kWh/m²/day, and the weakest is December (winter) at 3.81 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.
Cienfuegos'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 Cienfuegos?
- Cienfuegos averages 5.31 peak sun hours per day annually, ranging from 3.81 in December to 6.42 in April.
- How many solar panels do I need in Cienfuegos?
- Panel count depends on your daily load. At Cienfuegos's annual average of 5.31 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 Cienfuegos?
- Sizing against Cienfuegos's worst month (December, 3.81 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 Cienfuegos's solar resource compare globally?
- Cienfuegos sits in solar zone 4 out of 5 (where 5 is strongest) at 5.31 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 Cienfuegos?
- Cienfuegos's dry-season output peaks at 6.42 kWh/m²/day in April; the wet season drops it to 3.81 in December. That ~49% swing is a key sizing consideration.
- Can solar panels survive tropical storms in Cienfuegos?
- Most tier-1 PV panels are rated for 140+ mph wind loads; mounting hardware usually fails first. In cyclone-prone regions like Cuba, specify IEC 61215-certified panels and anchor-bolt mounts rather than ballasted.
- What's the dry-to-wet output gap in Cienfuegos?
- Cienfuegos swings from 6.42 kWh/m²/day in April (dry) to 3.81 in December (wet) — roughly 49%. Year-round off-grid systems must size against the wet-season minimum.