Peak Sun Hours in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria
- Solar zone
- Zone 4 (excellent)
- Best month
- March (6.0)
- Worst month
- August (4.1)
- Climate
- Tropical · 23.6°C
Monthly solar breakdown
| Month | GHI | Clear-sky | DNI | DHI | Temp °C | Humid % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5.69 | 5.88 | 4.32 | 2.51 | 21.9 | 21 |
| Feb | 5.74 | 6.06 | 3.42 | 2.94 | 24.6 | 20 |
| Mar | 5.96 | 6.52 | 3.08 | 3.09 | 26.6 | 27 |
| Apr | 5.76 | 6.94 | 2.83 | 2.95 | 26.8 | 51 |
| May | 5.38 | 7.01 | 2.60 | 2.76 | 25.4 | 69 |
| Jun | 4.96 | 6.83 | 2.21 | 2.63 | 24.1 | 75 |
| Jul | 4.51 | 6.90 | 1.66 | 2.52 | 22.8 | 80 |
| Aug | 4.13 | 7.02 | 1.28 | 2.42 | 21.7 | 85 |
| Sep | 4.77 | 6.99 | 1.93 | 2.62 | 22.1 | 83 |
| Oct | 5.37 | 6.67 | 3.16 | 2.54 | 23.0 | 71 |
| Nov | 5.94 | 6.26 | 5.18 | 2.17 | 22.7 | 45 |
| Dec | 5.75 | 5.90 | 5.26 | 2.07 | 21.7 | 27 |
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 4.13 kWh/m²/day, 0.77 system efficiency.
About solar in Jos
Jos, Nigeria has a warm, tropical climate with a distinct wet and dry season. Its annual peak sun hours average 5.33 kWh/m²/day, a excellent solar resource by global standards.
The strongest month in Jos is March (spring) at 5.96 kWh/m²/day, and the weakest is August (summer) at 4.13 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.
Jos'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 Jos?
- Jos averages 5.33 peak sun hours per day annually, ranging from 4.13 in August to 5.96 in March.
- How many solar panels do I need in Jos?
- Panel count depends on your daily load. At Jos's annual average of 5.33 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 Jos?
- Sizing against Jos's worst month (August, 4.13 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 Jos's solar resource compare globally?
- Jos sits in solar zone 4 out of 5 (where 5 is strongest) at 5.33 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 Jos?
- Jos's dry-season output peaks at 5.96 kWh/m²/day in March; the wet season drops it to 4.13 in August. That ~34% swing is a key sizing consideration.
- Can solar panels survive tropical storms in Jos?
- Most tier-1 PV panels are rated for 140+ mph wind loads; mounting hardware usually fails first. In cyclone-prone regions like Nigeria, specify IEC 61215-certified panels and anchor-bolt mounts rather than ballasted.
- What's the dry-to-wet output gap in Jos?
- Jos swings from 5.96 kWh/m²/day in March (dry) to 4.13 in August (wet) — roughly 34%. Year-round off-grid systems must size against the wet-season minimum.