Peak Sun Hours in Sokoto, Sokoto, Nigeria
- Solar zone
- Zone 4 (excellent)
- Best month
- April (6.5)
- Worst month
- December (5.5)
- Climate
- Tropical · 27.8°C
Monthly solar breakdown
| Month | GHI | Clear-sky | DNI | DHI | Temp °C | Humid % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5.59 | 5.78 | 4.70 | 2.30 | 22.9 | 20 |
| Feb | 6.11 | 6.30 | 4.33 | 2.77 | 26.4 | 16 |
| Mar | 6.40 | 6.75 | 3.51 | 3.28 | 30.1 | 15 |
| Apr | 6.48 | 6.97 | 3.16 | 3.46 | 33.1 | 27 |
| May | 6.30 | 6.98 | 3.21 | 3.22 | 33.0 | 44 |
| Jun | 6.07 | 6.80 | 2.95 | 3.16 | 30.9 | 55 |
| Jul | 5.87 | 6.92 | 2.98 | 2.93 | 28.4 | 67 |
| Aug | 5.57 | 7.03 | 2.95 | 2.68 | 26.5 | 80 |
| Sep | 6.12 | 6.89 | 4.10 | 2.57 | 26.7 | 79 |
| Oct | 6.10 | 6.44 | 4.62 | 2.48 | 27.2 | 61 |
| Nov | 5.85 | 6.02 | 5.31 | 2.13 | 25.6 | 34 |
| Dec | 5.50 | 5.65 | 5.24 | 2.04 | 23.3 | 26 |
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 5.50 kWh/m²/day, 0.77 system efficiency.
About solar in Sokoto
Sokoto, Nigeria has a warm, tropical climate with a distinct wet and dry season. Its annual peak sun hours average 6 kWh/m²/day, a excellent solar resource by global standards.
The strongest month in Sokoto is April (spring) at 6.48 kWh/m²/day, and the weakest is December (winter) at 5.5 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.
Sokoto'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 Sokoto?
- Sokoto averages 6 peak sun hours per day annually, ranging from 5.5 in December to 6.48 in April.
- How many solar panels do I need in Sokoto?
- Panel count depends on your daily load. At Sokoto's annual average of 6 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 Sokoto?
- Sizing against Sokoto's worst month (December, 5.5 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 Sokoto's solar resource compare globally?
- Sokoto sits in solar zone 4 out of 5 (where 5 is strongest) at 6 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 Sokoto?
- Sokoto's dry-season output peaks at 6.48 kWh/m²/day in April; the wet season drops it to 5.5 in December. That ~16% swing is a key sizing consideration.
- Can solar panels survive tropical storms in Sokoto?
- 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 Sokoto?
- Sokoto swings from 6.48 kWh/m²/day in April (dry) to 5.5 in December (wet) — roughly 16%. Year-round off-grid systems must size against the wet-season minimum.