Peak Sun Hours in Dhanbad, Jharkhand, India
- Solar zone
- Zone 3 (good)
- Best month
- April (6.3)
- Worst month
- December (3.5)
- Climate
- Tropical · 24.7°C
Monthly solar breakdown
| Month | GHI | Clear-sky | DNI | DHI | Temp °C | Humid % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3.82 | 4.05 | 3.69 | 1.59 | 15.3 | 60 |
| Feb | 4.75 | 5.04 | 4.52 | 1.77 | 19.6 | 52 |
| Mar | 5.69 | 6.07 | 4.97 | 2.05 | 25.3 | 40 |
| Apr | 6.30 | 6.78 | 4.99 | 2.30 | 30.7 | 36 |
| May | 6.14 | 6.87 | 4.09 | 2.61 | 32.6 | 46 |
| Jun | 5.21 | 6.76 | 2.46 | 2.83 | 31.2 | 64 |
| Jul | 4.36 | 6.82 | 1.38 | 2.86 | 28.2 | 83 |
| Aug | 4.50 | 6.61 | 1.71 | 2.81 | 27.4 | 87 |
| Sep | 4.51 | 5.98 | 2.27 | 2.56 | 26.6 | 87 |
| Oct | 4.52 | 5.21 | 3.49 | 2.03 | 24.1 | 80 |
| Nov | 4.05 | 4.30 | 3.88 | 1.67 | 19.8 | 72 |
| Dec | 3.55 | 3.72 | 3.50 | 1.52 | 15.9 | 67 |
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 3.55 kWh/m²/day, 0.77 system efficiency.
About solar in Dhanbad
Dhanbad, India has a warm, tropical climate with a distinct wet and dry season. Its annual peak sun hours average 4.78 kWh/m²/day, a good solar resource by global standards.
The strongest month in Dhanbad is April (spring) at 6.3 kWh/m²/day, and the weakest is December (winter) at 3.55 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.
Dhanbad'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 Dhanbad?
- Dhanbad averages 4.78 peak sun hours per day annually, ranging from 3.55 in December to 6.3 in April.
- How many solar panels do I need in Dhanbad?
- Panel count depends on your daily load. At Dhanbad's annual average of 4.78 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 Dhanbad?
- Sizing against Dhanbad's worst month (December, 3.55 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 Dhanbad's solar resource compare globally?
- Dhanbad sits in solar zone 3 out of 5 (where 5 is strongest) at 4.78 kWh/m²/day — good 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 Dhanbad?
- Dhanbad's dry-season output peaks at 6.3 kWh/m²/day in April; the wet season drops it to 3.55 in December. That ~58% swing is a key sizing consideration.
- Can solar panels survive tropical storms in Dhanbad?
- 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 Dhanbad?
- Dhanbad swings from 6.3 kWh/m²/day in April (dry) to 3.55 in December (wet) — roughly 58%. Year-round off-grid systems must size against the wet-season minimum.