Peak Sun Hours in Pinar del Río, Pinar del Río, Cuba
- Solar zone
- Zone 4 (excellent)
- Best month
- April (6.5)
- Worst month
- December (3.9)
- Climate
- Tropical · 26.1°C
Monthly solar breakdown
| Month | GHI | Clear-sky | DNI | DHI | Temp °C | Humid % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4.02 | 4.93 | 4.88 | 1.46 | 22.3 | 75 |
| Feb | 4.88 | 5.77 | 5.42 | 1.68 | 23.4 | 74 |
| Mar | 5.83 | 6.74 | 5.78 | 2.03 | 24.4 | 69 |
| Apr | 6.46 | 7.37 | 5.92 | 2.20 | 26.3 | 67 |
| May | 6.22 | 7.60 | 5.06 | 2.38 | 27.7 | 69 |
| Jun | 5.62 | 7.54 | 3.73 | 2.57 | 28.2 | 74 |
| Jul | 6.10 | 7.49 | 4.37 | 2.55 | 28.7 | 73 |
| Aug | 5.84 | 7.24 | 4.43 | 2.36 | 28.8 | 74 |
| Sep | 5.27 | 6.68 | 4.27 | 2.16 | 28.0 | 78 |
| Oct | 4.72 | 5.87 | 4.66 | 1.77 | 26.8 | 78 |
| Nov | 4.21 | 5.06 | 5.06 | 1.46 | 24.5 | 77 |
| Dec | 3.85 | 4.61 | 4.92 | 1.36 | 23.4 | 78 |
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 3.85 kWh/m²/day, 0.77 system efficiency.
About solar in Pinar del Río
Pinar del Río, Cuba has a warm, tropical climate with a distinct wet and dry season. Its annual peak sun hours average 5.25 kWh/m²/day, a excellent solar resource by global standards.
The strongest month in Pinar del Río is April (spring) at 6.46 kWh/m²/day, and the weakest is December (winter) at 3.85 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.
Pinar del Río'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 Pinar del Río?
- Pinar del Río averages 5.25 peak sun hours per day annually, ranging from 3.85 in December to 6.46 in April.
- How many solar panels do I need in Pinar del Río?
- Panel count depends on your daily load. At Pinar del Río's annual average of 5.25 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 Pinar del Río?
- Sizing against Pinar del Río's worst month (December, 3.85 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 Pinar del Río's solar resource compare globally?
- Pinar del Río sits in solar zone 4 out of 5 (where 5 is strongest) at 5.25 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 Pinar del Río?
- Pinar del Río's dry-season output peaks at 6.46 kWh/m²/day in April; the wet season drops it to 3.85 in December. That ~50% swing is a key sizing consideration.
- Can solar panels survive tropical storms in Pinar del Río?
- 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 Pinar del Río?
- Pinar del Río swings from 6.46 kWh/m²/day in April (dry) to 3.85 in December (wet) — roughly 50%. Year-round off-grid systems must size against the wet-season minimum.