Peak Sun Hours in Surat, Gujarat, India
- Solar zone
- Zone 4 (excellent)
- Best month
- May (7.3)
- Worst month
- August (4.2)
- Climate
- Tropical · 27.3°C
Monthly solar breakdown
| Month | GHI | Clear-sky | DNI | DHI | Temp °C | Humid % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4.70 | 4.83 | 5.57 | 1.48 | 22.9 | 36 |
| Feb | 5.61 | 5.73 | 6.18 | 1.64 | 25.2 | 37 |
| Mar | 6.53 | 6.70 | 6.48 | 1.92 | 28.6 | 39 |
| Apr | 7.17 | 7.33 | 6.65 | 2.10 | 31.5 | 48 |
| May | 7.30 | 7.51 | 6.30 | 2.32 | 32.3 | 56 |
| Jun | 5.73 | 7.03 | 3.20 | 2.85 | 29.9 | 74 |
| Jul | 4.30 | 6.67 | 1.32 | 2.76 | 27.4 | 87 |
| Aug | 4.23 | 6.54 | 1.39 | 2.70 | 26.6 | 89 |
| Sep | 4.95 | 6.15 | 2.92 | 2.48 | 26.9 | 86 |
| Oct | 5.36 | 5.63 | 4.96 | 1.89 | 26.8 | 70 |
| Nov | 4.68 | 4.85 | 5.05 | 1.58 | 25.5 | 55 |
| Dec | 4.35 | 4.51 | 5.31 | 1.39 | 23.8 | 42 |
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 4.23 kWh/m²/day, 0.77 system efficiency.
About solar in Surat
Surat, India has a warm, tropical climate with a distinct wet and dry season. Its annual peak sun hours average 5.41 kWh/m²/day, a excellent solar resource by global standards.
The strongest month in Surat is May (spring) at 7.3 kWh/m²/day, and the weakest is August (summer) at 4.23 kWh/m²/day. When sizing a year-round off-grid system, it's standard practice to design against the August value rather than the annual average — otherwise the battery bank runs low during the darkest weeks.
Surat'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 Surat?
- Surat averages 5.41 peak sun hours per day annually, ranging from 4.23 in August to 7.3 in May.
- How many solar panels do I need in Surat?
- Panel count depends on your daily load. At Surat's annual average of 5.41 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 Surat?
- Sizing against Surat's worst month (August, 4.23 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 Surat's solar resource compare globally?
- Surat sits in solar zone 4 out of 5 (where 5 is strongest) at 5.41 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 Surat?
- Surat's dry-season output peaks at 7.3 kWh/m²/day in May; the wet season drops it to 4.23 in August. That ~57% swing is a key sizing consideration.
- Can solar panels survive tropical storms in Surat?
- 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 Surat?
- Surat swings from 7.3 kWh/m²/day in May (dry) to 4.23 in August (wet) — roughly 57%. Year-round off-grid systems must size against the wet-season minimum.