Peak Sun Hours in Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico
- Solar zone
- Zone 4 (excellent)
- Best month
- May (7.7)
- Worst month
- December (4.1)
- Climate
- Tropical · 25.3°C
Monthly solar breakdown
| Month | GHI | Clear-sky | DNI | DHI | Temp °C | Humid % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4.31 | 4.95 | 6.13 | 1.24 | 20.3 | 45 |
| Feb | 5.25 | 5.93 | 6.83 | 1.37 | 21.1 | 43 |
| Mar | 6.46 | 7.07 | 7.81 | 1.50 | 23.3 | 37 |
| Apr | 7.27 | 7.87 | 7.93 | 1.80 | 25.7 | 36 |
| May | 7.68 | 8.10 | 8.41 | 1.65 | 28.4 | 38 |
| Jun | 7.19 | 7.85 | 7.01 | 1.95 | 30.3 | 52 |
| Jul | 6.36 | 7.63 | 5.18 | 2.31 | 28.8 | 70 |
| Aug | 6.00 | 7.25 | 4.95 | 2.22 | 28.1 | 78 |
| Sep | 5.51 | 6.62 | 5.07 | 1.96 | 27.2 | 80 |
| Oct | 5.46 | 5.89 | 7.16 | 1.18 | 26.3 | 65 |
| Nov | 4.68 | 5.04 | 7.06 | 1.00 | 23.4 | 54 |
| Dec | 4.10 | 4.63 | 6.22 | 1.11 | 20.2 | 50 |
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 4.10 kWh/m²/day, 0.77 system efficiency.
About solar in Culiacán
Culiacán, Mexico has a warm, tropical climate with a distinct wet and dry season. Its annual peak sun hours average 5.86 kWh/m²/day, a excellent solar resource by global standards.
The strongest month in Culiacán is May (spring) at 7.68 kWh/m²/day, and the weakest is December (winter) at 4.1 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.
Culiacán'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 Culiacán?
- Culiacán averages 5.86 peak sun hours per day annually, ranging from 4.1 in December to 7.68 in May.
- How many solar panels do I need in Culiacán?
- Panel count depends on your daily load. At Culiacán's annual average of 5.86 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 Culiacán?
- Sizing against Culiacán's worst month (December, 4.1 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 Culiacán's solar resource compare globally?
- Culiacán sits in solar zone 4 out of 5 (where 5 is strongest) at 5.86 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 Culiacán?
- Culiacán's dry-season output peaks at 7.68 kWh/m²/day in May; the wet season drops it to 4.1 in December. That ~61% swing is a key sizing consideration.
- Can solar panels survive tropical storms in Culiacán?
- Most tier-1 PV panels are rated for 140+ mph wind loads; mounting hardware usually fails first. In cyclone-prone regions like Mexico, specify IEC 61215-certified panels and anchor-bolt mounts rather than ballasted.
- What's the dry-to-wet output gap in Culiacán?
- Culiacán swings from 7.68 kWh/m²/day in May (dry) to 4.1 in December (wet) — roughly 61%. Year-round off-grid systems must size against the wet-season minimum.