Peak Sun Hours in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
- Solar zone
- Zone 4 (excellent)
- Best month
- March (6.6)
- Worst month
- November (4.7)
- Climate
- Tropical · 23.7°C
Monthly solar breakdown
| Month | GHI | Clear-sky | DNI | DHI | Temp °C | Humid % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5.50 | 5.91 | 5.35 | 1.87 | 21.1 | 63 |
| Feb | 6.28 | 6.60 | 5.95 | 1.91 | 23.5 | 51 |
| Mar | 6.61 | 7.05 | 5.37 | 2.28 | 26.8 | 44 |
| Apr | 6.60 | 7.19 | 4.81 | 2.48 | 28.4 | 49 |
| May | 6.22 | 7.09 | 4.16 | 2.59 | 27.0 | 64 |
| Jun | 5.33 | 7.07 | 2.54 | 2.84 | 24.3 | 75 |
| Jul | 4.76 | 7.00 | 1.54 | 2.87 | 23.5 | 77 |
| Aug | 4.82 | 7.05 | 1.74 | 2.82 | 23.3 | 79 |
| Sep | 5.29 | 6.95 | 2.75 | 2.68 | 23.1 | 80 |
| Oct | 5.03 | 6.35 | 2.95 | 2.43 | 22.5 | 81 |
| Nov | 4.66 | 5.83 | 3.44 | 2.07 | 21.1 | 79 |
| Dec | 4.75 | 5.61 | 4.19 | 1.91 | 20.2 | 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 4.66 kWh/m²/day, 0.77 system efficiency.
About solar in Bengaluru
Bengaluru, India has a warm, tropical climate with a distinct wet and dry season. Its annual peak sun hours average 5.49 kWh/m²/day, a excellent solar resource by global standards.
The strongest month in Bengaluru is March (spring) at 6.61 kWh/m²/day, and the weakest is November (autumn) at 4.66 kWh/m²/day. When sizing a year-round off-grid system, it's standard practice to design against the November value rather than the annual average — otherwise the battery bank runs low during the darkest weeks.
Bengaluru'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 Bengaluru?
- Bengaluru averages 5.49 peak sun hours per day annually, ranging from 4.66 in November to 6.61 in March.
- How many solar panels do I need in Bengaluru?
- Panel count depends on your daily load. At Bengaluru's annual average of 5.49 kWh/m²/day, a 5 kWh/day load needs roughly 3 × 400 W panels. Use the calculator above for your actual load.
- What size battery do I need in Bengaluru?
- Sizing against Bengaluru's worst month (November, 4.66 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 Bengaluru's solar resource compare globally?
- Bengaluru sits in solar zone 4 out of 5 (where 5 is strongest) at 5.49 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 Bengaluru?
- Bengaluru's dry-season output peaks at 6.61 kWh/m²/day in March; the wet season drops it to 4.66 in November. That ~36% swing is a key sizing consideration.
- Can solar panels survive tropical storms in Bengaluru?
- Most tier-1 PV panels are rated for 140+ mph wind loads; mounting hardware usually fails first. In cyclone-prone regions like India, specify IEC 61215-certified panels and anchor-bolt mounts rather than ballasted.
- What's the dry-to-wet output gap in Bengaluru?
- Bengaluru swings from 6.61 kWh/m²/day in March (dry) to 4.66 in November (wet) — roughly 36%. Year-round off-grid systems must size against the wet-season minimum.