Peak Sun Hours in Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria
- Solar zone
- Zone 4 (excellent)
- Best month
- April (6.3)
- Worst month
- August (5.0)
- Climate
- Tropical · 24.4°C
Monthly solar breakdown
| Month | GHI | Clear-sky | DNI | DHI | Temp °C | Humid % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5.59 | 5.76 | 4.24 | 2.52 | 20.6 | 33 |
| Feb | 5.91 | 6.13 | 3.60 | 3.01 | 24.2 | 28 |
| Mar | 6.19 | 6.61 | 3.14 | 3.27 | 27.2 | 28 |
| Apr | 6.28 | 6.89 | 3.09 | 3.27 | 28.4 | 49 |
| May | 6.11 | 6.95 | 3.17 | 3.04 | 27.3 | 67 |
| Jun | 5.76 | 6.72 | 2.84 | 2.97 | 25.7 | 75 |
| Jul | 5.42 | 6.89 | 2.63 | 2.75 | 24.4 | 81 |
| Aug | 5.02 | 7.08 | 2.36 | 2.57 | 23.6 | 85 |
| Sep | 5.69 | 6.92 | 3.27 | 2.65 | 24.1 | 83 |
| Oct | 5.90 | 6.48 | 4.00 | 2.60 | 24.4 | 71 |
| Nov | 5.81 | 6.06 | 4.79 | 2.33 | 22.6 | 50 |
| Dec | 5.54 | 5.71 | 4.85 | 2.22 | 20.5 | 41 |
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 5.02 kWh/m²/day, 0.77 system efficiency.
About solar in Zaria
Zaria, Nigeria has a warm, tropical climate with a distinct wet and dry season. Its annual peak sun hours average 5.77 kWh/m²/day, a excellent solar resource by global standards.
The strongest month in Zaria is April (spring) at 6.28 kWh/m²/day, and the weakest is August (summer) at 5.02 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.
Zaria'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 Zaria?
- Zaria averages 5.77 peak sun hours per day annually, ranging from 5.02 in August to 6.28 in April.
- How many solar panels do I need in Zaria?
- Panel count depends on your daily load. At Zaria's annual average of 5.77 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 Zaria?
- Sizing against Zaria's worst month (August, 5.02 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 Zaria's solar resource compare globally?
- Zaria sits in solar zone 4 out of 5 (where 5 is strongest) at 5.77 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 Zaria?
- Zaria's dry-season output peaks at 6.28 kWh/m²/day in April; the wet season drops it to 5.02 in August. That ~22% swing is a key sizing consideration.
- Can solar panels survive tropical storms in Zaria?
- 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 Zaria?
- Zaria swings from 6.28 kWh/m²/day in April (dry) to 5.02 in August (wet) — roughly 22%. Year-round off-grid systems must size against the wet-season minimum.