Peak Sun Hours in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India
- Solar zone
- Zone 4 (excellent)
- Best month
- March (6.3)
- Worst month
- December (4.4)
- Climate
- Equatorial · 27.3°C
Monthly solar breakdown
| Month | GHI | Clear-sky | DNI | DHI | Temp °C | Humid % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5.24 | 6.04 | 4.12 | 2.27 | 24.0 | 74 |
| Feb | 5.95 | 6.63 | 4.67 | 2.35 | 26.1 | 64 |
| Mar | 6.34 | 7.03 | 4.68 | 2.47 | 29.1 | 57 |
| Apr | 6.25 | 7.13 | 4.41 | 2.53 | 30.5 | 59 |
| May | 5.99 | 6.85 | 3.92 | 2.60 | 30.1 | 64 |
| Jun | 5.84 | 6.83 | 3.78 | 2.61 | 28.7 | 65 |
| Jul | 5.62 | 6.81 | 3.25 | 2.69 | 28.4 | 63 |
| Aug | 5.78 | 6.93 | 3.50 | 2.65 | 28.1 | 66 |
| Sep | 5.78 | 6.92 | 3.63 | 2.57 | 27.9 | 70 |
| Oct | 5.14 | 6.51 | 3.05 | 2.45 | 26.6 | 78 |
| Nov | 4.46 | 5.99 | 2.63 | 2.27 | 24.7 | 84 |
| Dec | 4.41 | 5.75 | 3.02 | 2.15 | 23.5 | 83 |
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 4.41 kWh/m²/day, 0.77 system efficiency.
About solar in Madurai
Madurai, India sits near the equator, where day length is stable year-round and the sun passes close to overhead. Its annual peak sun hours average 5.57 kWh/m²/day, a excellent solar resource by global standards.
The strongest month in Madurai is March (spring) at 6.34 kWh/m²/day, and the weakest is December (winter) at 4.41 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.
Madurai'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 Madurai?
- Madurai averages 5.57 peak sun hours per day annually, ranging from 4.41 in December to 6.34 in March.
- How many solar panels do I need in Madurai?
- Panel count depends on your daily load. At Madurai's annual average of 5.57 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 Madurai?
- Sizing against Madurai's worst month (December, 4.41 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 Madurai's solar resource compare globally?
- Madurai sits in solar zone 4 out of 5 (where 5 is strongest) at 5.57 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.
- Why doesn't solar output vary much by month in Madurai?
- Near the equator, day length is nearly constant year-round and the sun stays close to overhead. In Madurai, monthly PSH ranges just from 4.41 to 6.34 kWh/m²/day — variance is driven by wet-season cloud cover, not day length.
- What tilt angle works best for panels in Madurai?
- At latitude 10°, panels in Madurai work best at a low tilt (roughly 10°) or horizontal. Tracking mounts add little benefit this close to the equator.
- How does the wet season affect solar output in Madurai?
- Equatorial wet seasons reduce output through cloud cover, not day length. Madurai's worst month (December) still delivers 4.41 kWh/m²/day — design against this value for reliable year-round off-grid use.