Peak Sun Hours in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
- Solar zone
- Zone 4 (excellent)
- Best month
- April (6.5)
- Worst month
- December (4.2)
- Climate
- Tropical · 27.9°C
Monthly solar breakdown
| Month | GHI | Clear-sky | DNI | DHI | Temp °C | Humid % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4.98 | 5.55 | 4.20 | 2.11 | 24.1 | 77 |
| Feb | 5.84 | 6.27 | 4.89 | 2.26 | 25.6 | 71 |
| Mar | 6.35 | 6.79 | 4.87 | 2.47 | 28.4 | 66 |
| Apr | 6.50 | 7.03 | 4.67 | 2.59 | 30.5 | 66 |
| May | 5.92 | 6.81 | 3.58 | 2.73 | 31.5 | 65 |
| Jun | 5.23 | 6.77 | 2.55 | 2.72 | 30.6 | 64 |
| Jul | 4.87 | 6.78 | 2.07 | 2.68 | 29.7 | 67 |
| Aug | 4.93 | 6.79 | 2.18 | 2.64 | 29.0 | 72 |
| Sep | 5.06 | 6.64 | 2.76 | 2.49 | 28.3 | 77 |
| Oct | 4.63 | 6.18 | 2.88 | 2.21 | 27.4 | 80 |
| Nov | 4.24 | 5.61 | 2.97 | 2.02 | 25.8 | 82 |
| Dec | 4.18 | 5.22 | 3.16 | 1.99 | 24.4 | 80 |
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 4.18 kWh/m²/day, 0.77 system efficiency.
About solar in Chennai
Chennai, India has a warm, tropical climate with a distinct wet and dry season. Its annual peak sun hours average 5.23 kWh/m²/day, a excellent solar resource by global standards.
The strongest month in Chennai is April (spring) at 6.5 kWh/m²/day, and the weakest is December (winter) at 4.18 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.
Chennai'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 Chennai?
- Chennai averages 5.23 peak sun hours per day annually, ranging from 4.18 in December to 6.5 in April.
- How many solar panels do I need in Chennai?
- Panel count depends on your daily load. At Chennai's annual average of 5.23 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 Chennai?
- Sizing against Chennai's worst month (December, 4.18 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 Chennai's solar resource compare globally?
- Chennai sits in solar zone 4 out of 5 (where 5 is strongest) at 5.23 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 Chennai?
- Chennai's dry-season output peaks at 6.5 kWh/m²/day in April; the wet season drops it to 4.18 in December. That ~44% swing is a key sizing consideration.
- Can solar panels survive tropical storms in Chennai?
- 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 Chennai?
- Chennai swings from 6.5 kWh/m²/day in April (dry) to 4.18 in December (wet) — roughly 44%. Year-round off-grid systems must size against the wet-season minimum.