Peak Sun Hours in Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria
- Solar zone
- Zone 3 (good)
- Best month
- January (5.0)
- Worst month
- August (3.1)
- Climate
- Equatorial · 25.9°C
Monthly solar breakdown
| Month | GHI | Clear-sky | DNI | DHI | Temp °C | Humid % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5.01 | 5.77 | 2.77 | 2.58 | 25.6 | 78 |
| Feb | 4.84 | 5.95 | 2.00 | 2.68 | 26.7 | 82 |
| Mar | 4.53 | 6.31 | 1.59 | 2.59 | 26.9 | 87 |
| Apr | 4.58 | 6.66 | 1.82 | 2.54 | 26.8 | 88 |
| May | 4.44 | 6.54 | 1.96 | 2.38 | 26.5 | 89 |
| Jun | 3.73 | 6.20 | 1.31 | 2.14 | 25.6 | 91 |
| Jul | 3.23 | 6.24 | 0.93 | 1.94 | 24.9 | 91 |
| Aug | 3.12 | 6.47 | 0.83 | 1.89 | 24.8 | 91 |
| Sep | 3.54 | 6.80 | 1.09 | 2.10 | 25.1 | 91 |
| Oct | 4.01 | 6.74 | 1.59 | 2.24 | 25.5 | 91 |
| Nov | 4.41 | 6.25 | 2.36 | 2.24 | 26.1 | 88 |
| Dec | 4.87 | 5.74 | 2.93 | 2.41 | 25.9 | 80 |
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 3.12 kWh/m²/day, 0.77 system efficiency.
About solar in Calabar
Calabar, Nigeria sits near the equator, where day length is stable year-round and the sun passes close to overhead. Its annual peak sun hours average 4.19 kWh/m²/day, a good solar resource by global standards.
The strongest month in Calabar is January (winter) at 5.01 kWh/m²/day, and the weakest is August (summer) at 3.12 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.
Calabar'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 Calabar?
- Calabar averages 4.19 peak sun hours per day annually, ranging from 3.12 in August to 5.01 in January.
- How many solar panels do I need in Calabar?
- Panel count depends on your daily load. At Calabar's annual average of 4.19 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 Calabar?
- Sizing against Calabar's worst month (August, 3.12 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 Calabar's solar resource compare globally?
- Calabar sits in solar zone 3 out of 5 (where 5 is strongest) at 4.19 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.
- Why doesn't solar output vary much by month in Calabar?
- Near the equator, day length is nearly constant year-round and the sun stays close to overhead. In Calabar, monthly PSH ranges just from 3.12 to 5.01 kWh/m²/day — variance is driven by wet-season cloud cover, not day length.
- What tilt angle works best for panels in Calabar?
- At latitude 5°, panels in Calabar work best at a low tilt (roughly 5°) or horizontal. Tracking mounts add little benefit this close to the equator.
- How does the wet season affect solar output in Calabar?
- Equatorial wet seasons reduce output through cloud cover, not day length. Calabar's worst month (August) still delivers 3.12 kWh/m²/day — design against this value for reliable year-round off-grid use.