Peak Sun Hours in Cebu City, Central Visayas, Philippines
- Solar zone
- Zone 3 (good)
- Best month
- April (6.3)
- Worst month
- December (4.1)
- Climate
- Tropical · 27.1°C
Monthly solar breakdown
| Month | GHI | Clear-sky | DNI | DHI | Temp °C | Humid % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4.09 | 6.10 | 3.06 | 1.93 | 25.8 | 87 |
| Feb | 4.81 | 6.70 | 3.77 | 2.03 | 25.9 | 84 |
| Mar | 5.72 | 7.23 | 4.61 | 2.12 | 26.8 | 80 |
| Apr | 6.25 | 7.43 | 5.18 | 2.16 | 28.1 | 76 |
| May | 5.69 | 7.25 | 4.12 | 2.30 | 28.7 | 76 |
| Jun | 5.16 | 7.08 | 3.04 | 2.47 | 27.9 | 80 |
| Jul | 4.83 | 7.05 | 2.46 | 2.50 | 27.2 | 83 |
| Aug | 4.96 | 7.07 | 2.45 | 2.58 | 27.1 | 84 |
| Sep | 4.92 | 6.99 | 2.54 | 2.51 | 27.1 | 84 |
| Oct | 4.81 | 6.66 | 3.04 | 2.29 | 27.1 | 85 |
| Nov | 4.57 | 6.22 | 3.67 | 1.96 | 26.9 | 86 |
| Dec | 4.06 | 5.88 | 3.27 | 1.86 | 26.4 | 87 |
GHI, Clear-sky, DNI, DHI in kWh/m²/day. Data: NASA POWER climatology (long-term monthly averages).
Off-grid calculator
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- 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 4.06 kWh/m²/day, 0.77 system efficiency.
About solar in Cebu City
Cebu City, Philippines has a warm, tropical climate with a distinct wet and dry season. Its annual peak sun hours average 4.99 kWh/m²/day, a good solar resource by global standards.
The strongest month in Cebu City is April (spring) at 6.25 kWh/m²/day, and the weakest is December (winter) at 4.06 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.
Cebu City'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 Cebu City?
- Cebu City averages 4.99 peak sun hours per day annually, ranging from 4.06 in December to 6.25 in April.
- How many solar panels do I need in Cebu City?
- Panel count depends on your daily load. At Cebu City's annual average of 4.99 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 Cebu City?
- Sizing against Cebu City's worst month (December, 4.06 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 Cebu City's solar resource compare globally?
- Cebu City sits in solar zone 3 out of 5 (where 5 is strongest) at 4.99 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.
- How does the wet season affect solar generation in Cebu City?
- Cebu City's dry-season output peaks at 6.25 kWh/m²/day in April; the wet season drops it to 4.06 in December. That ~44% swing is a key sizing consideration.
- Can solar panels survive tropical storms in Cebu City?
- Most tier-1 PV panels are rated for 140+ mph wind loads; mounting hardware usually fails first. In cyclone-prone regions like Philippines, specify IEC 61215-certified panels and anchor-bolt mounts rather than ballasted.
- What's the dry-to-wet output gap in Cebu City?
- Cebu City swings from 6.25 kWh/m²/day in April (dry) to 4.06 in December (wet) — roughly 44%. Year-round off-grid systems must size against the wet-season minimum.