Peak Sun Hours in Ranchi, Jharkhand, India
- Solar zone
- Zone 3 (good)
- Best month
- April (6.3)
- Worst month
- December (3.6)
- Climate
- Tropical · 23.4°C
Monthly solar breakdown
| Month | GHI | Clear-sky | DNI | DHI | Temp °C | Humid % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3.83 | 4.08 | 3.68 | 1.61 | 14.9 | 54 |
| Feb | 4.75 | 5.08 | 4.46 | 1.81 | 18.9 | 46 |
| Mar | 5.68 | 6.14 | 4.88 | 2.10 | 24.2 | 36 |
| Apr | 6.33 | 6.86 | 5.00 | 2.34 | 29.5 | 30 |
| May | 6.19 | 6.95 | 4.09 | 2.68 | 31.7 | 39 |
| Jun | 5.13 | 6.83 | 2.37 | 2.83 | 29.7 | 62 |
| Jul | 4.21 | 6.88 | 1.26 | 2.80 | 26.2 | 85 |
| Aug | 4.32 | 6.66 | 1.52 | 2.77 | 25.5 | 89 |
| Sep | 4.40 | 6.03 | 2.05 | 2.59 | 24.7 | 88 |
| Oct | 4.52 | 5.26 | 3.43 | 2.06 | 22.2 | 80 |
| Nov | 4.09 | 4.34 | 3.94 | 1.67 | 18.3 | 70 |
| Dec | 3.58 | 3.75 | 3.56 | 1.51 | 15.2 | 62 |
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 3.58 kWh/m²/day, 0.77 system efficiency.
About solar in Ranchi
Ranchi, India has a warm, tropical climate with a distinct wet and dry season. Its annual peak sun hours average 4.75 kWh/m²/day, a good solar resource by global standards.
The strongest month in Ranchi is April (spring) at 6.33 kWh/m²/day, and the weakest is December (winter) at 3.58 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.
Ranchi'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 Ranchi?
- Ranchi averages 4.75 peak sun hours per day annually, ranging from 3.58 in December to 6.33 in April.
- How many solar panels do I need in Ranchi?
- Panel count depends on your daily load. At Ranchi's annual average of 4.75 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 Ranchi?
- Sizing against Ranchi's worst month (December, 3.58 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 Ranchi's solar resource compare globally?
- Ranchi sits in solar zone 3 out of 5 (where 5 is strongest) at 4.75 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 Ranchi?
- Ranchi's dry-season output peaks at 6.33 kWh/m²/day in April; the wet season drops it to 3.58 in December. That ~58% swing is a key sizing consideration.
- Can solar panels survive tropical storms in Ranchi?
- 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 Ranchi?
- Ranchi swings from 6.33 kWh/m²/day in April (dry) to 3.58 in December (wet) — roughly 58%. Year-round off-grid systems must size against the wet-season minimum.