Peak Sun Hours in Santa Clara, Villa Clara Province, Cuba
- Solar zone
- Zone 4 (excellent)
- Best month
- April (6.3)
- Worst month
- December (3.6)
- Climate
- Tropical · 26.1°C
Monthly solar breakdown
| Month | GHI | Clear-sky | DNI | DHI | Temp °C | Humid % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3.81 | 4.94 | 4.52 | 1.46 | 22.6 | 71 |
| Feb | 4.74 | 5.80 | 5.28 | 1.65 | 23.7 | 69 |
| Mar | 5.60 | 6.71 | 5.52 | 1.95 | 24.7 | 64 |
| Apr | 6.27 | 7.36 | 5.76 | 2.14 | 26.5 | 62 |
| May | 6.04 | 7.57 | 4.89 | 2.29 | 27.3 | 67 |
| Jun | 5.81 | 7.49 | 3.84 | 2.65 | 28.1 | 72 |
| Jul | 6.23 | 7.45 | 4.53 | 2.58 | 28.6 | 71 |
| Aug | 6.03 | 7.23 | 4.61 | 2.43 | 28.8 | 72 |
| Sep | 5.36 | 6.64 | 4.27 | 2.25 | 28.1 | 74 |
| Oct | 4.55 | 5.84 | 4.16 | 1.89 | 26.9 | 76 |
| Nov | 3.93 | 5.07 | 4.47 | 1.53 | 24.7 | 74 |
| Dec | 3.60 | 4.63 | 4.44 | 1.39 | 23.6 | 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 3.60 kWh/m²/day, 0.77 system efficiency.
About solar in Santa Clara
Santa Clara, Cuba has a warm, tropical climate with a distinct wet and dry season. Its annual peak sun hours average 5.16 kWh/m²/day, a excellent solar resource by global standards.
The strongest month in Santa Clara is April (spring) at 6.27 kWh/m²/day, and the weakest is December (winter) at 3.6 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.
Santa Clara'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 Santa Clara?
- Santa Clara averages 5.16 peak sun hours per day annually, ranging from 3.6 in December to 6.27 in April.
- How many solar panels do I need in Santa Clara?
- Panel count depends on your daily load. At Santa Clara's annual average of 5.16 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 Santa Clara?
- Sizing against Santa Clara's worst month (December, 3.6 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 Santa Clara's solar resource compare globally?
- Santa Clara sits in solar zone 4 out of 5 (where 5 is strongest) at 5.16 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 Santa Clara?
- Santa Clara's dry-season output peaks at 6.27 kWh/m²/day in April; the wet season drops it to 3.6 in December. That ~52% swing is a key sizing consideration.
- Can solar panels survive tropical storms in Santa Clara?
- 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 Santa Clara?
- Santa Clara swings from 6.27 kWh/m²/day in April (dry) to 3.6 in December (wet) — roughly 52%. Year-round off-grid systems must size against the wet-season minimum.