66 places · sun position · panel angle
Solar data for Benin
Across the 66 places in Benin the best fixed tilt for solar panels runs from 7° in Ouidah to 13° in Malanville, and flat ground gets 4.6 to 5.7 peak sun hours a day. Every number is computed for each place.
Solar power in Benin at a glance
Averages over 66 places with climate data, for a fixed array facing south.
- 4.64–4.86
- 4.86–5.08
- 5.08–5.30
- 5.30–5.52
- 5.52–5.73
Peak sun hours a day on flat ground. Each dot is one place.
The sunniest place in Benin is Malanville (Alibori) with 5.73 peak sun hours a day on flat ground; the least sunny are Porto-Novo and one other place with 4.64. A 1 kWp array at its best angle makes from 1,350 kWh a year in Porto-Novo to 1,682 kWh in Malanville — 1,465 kWh on average.
The best year-round tilt runs from 7° in Ouidah to 13° in Malanville. Off-grid systems are sized for the darkest month and do better steeper, at 0° on average: at 70° that month brings 1.10 kWh per kWp a day in Semi and 1.46 kWh in Malanville.
Size an off-grid system or open any place below for its sun path, monthly table and tilt curve.
Sunniest places in Benin
Ranked by peak sun hours on flat ground: the yearly average of a day's sunshine energy (NASA POWER climatology). Output: 1 kWp at its best year-round angle.
| Rank | Place | Region | Sun hours/day | kWh per kWp a year | Best tilt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Malanville | Alibori | 5.73 | 1,682 | 13° |
| 2 | Banikoara | Alibori | 5.65 | 1,660 | 13° |
| 3 | Kandi | Alibori | 5.61 | 1,649 | 13° |
| 4 | Ségbana | Alibori | 5.57 | 1,637 | 13° |
| 5 | Kérou | Atakora | 5.54 | 1,631 | 13° |
| 6 | Matéri | Atakora | 5.51 | 1,622 | 12° |
| 7 | Tanguiéta | Atakora | 5.49 | 1,616 | 12° |
| 8 | Cobly | Atakora | 5.47 | 1,611 | 12° |
| 9 | Toukountouna | Atakora | 5.46 | 1,607 | 12° |
| 10 | Sinendé | Borgou | 5.45 | 1,603 | 12° |
Least sunny places in Benin
| Rank | Place | Region | Sun hours/day | kWh per kWp a year | Best tilt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 62 | Banigbé | Plateau | 4.65 | 1,354 | 8° |
| 62 | Missérété | Ouémé | 4.65 | 1,353 | 8° |
| 62 | Avrankou | Ouémé | 4.65 | 1,352 | 8° |
| 65 | Adjarra | Ouémé | 4.64 | 1,350 | 8° |
| 65 | Porto-Novo | Ouémé | 4.64 | 1,350 | 8° |
Solar by region in Benin
Averages of the places in each region, sunniest first. Darkest month: what 1 kWp of off-grid panels at 70° makes a day in the worst month of the year.
| Region | Places | Sun hours/day | kWh per kWp a year | Best tilt | Darkest month at 70° | Sunniest place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alibori | 4 | 5.64 | 1,657 | 13° | 1.41 kWh | Malanville |
| Atakora | 9 | 5.45 | 1,605 | 12° | 1.35 kWh | Kérou |
| Borgou | 8 | 5.30 | 1,558 | 12° | 1.34 kWh | Sinendé |
| Donga | 4 | 5.25 | 1,543 | 11° | 1.31 kWh | Kopargo |
| Collines | 7 | 4.92 | 1,439 | 9° | 1.22 kWh | Banté |
| Kouffo | 5 | 4.84 | 1,410 | 8° | 1.19 kWh | Aplahoué |
| Mono | 3 | 4.81 | 1,400 | 8° | 1.17 kWh | Athiémé |
| Zou | 6 | 4.80 | 1,400 | 8° | 1.20 kWh | Djidja |
| Atlantique | 8 | 4.71 | 1,371 | 8° | 1.13 kWh | Ouidah |
| Plateau | 5 | 4.69 | 1,367 | 8° | 1.16 kWh | Kétou |
| Littoral | 1 | 4.68 | 1,362 | 8° | 1.10 kWh | Cotonou |
| Ouémé | 6 | 4.65 | 1,352 | 8° | 1.11 kWh | Ekpé |
Largest places in Benin at a glance
| Place | Latitude | Best tilt | Off-grid tilt | Sun hours/day (flat) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cotonou | 6.4° N | 8° | 0° | 4.68 |
| Abomey-Calavi | 6.4° N | 8° | 0° | 4.68 |
| Porto-Novo | 6.5° N | 8° | 0° | 4.64 |
| Parakou | 9.3° N | 11° | 0° | 5.16 |
| Godomè | 6.4° N | 8° | 0° | 4.70 |
| Abomey | 7.2° N | 8° | 0° | 4.83 |
| Djougou | 9.7° N | 11° | 0° | 5.28 |
| Bohicon | 7.2° N | 8° | 0° | 4.82 |
| Ekpé | 6.4° N | 8° | 0° | 4.66 |
| Nikki | 9.9° N | 12° | 0° | 5.33 |
| Malanville | 11.9° N | 13° | 0° | 5.73 |
| Kandi | 11.1° N | 13° | 0° | 5.61 |
| Kérou | 10.8° N | 13° | 0° | 5.54 |
| Natitingou | 10.3° N | 12° | 0° | 5.41 |
| Pobé | 7.0° N | 8° | 0° | 4.69 |
| Ouidah | 6.4° N | 7° | 0° | 4.75 |
| Lokossa | 6.6° N | 8° | 0° | 4.82 |
| Bassila | 9.0° N | 11° | 0° | 5.16 |
| Tchaourou | 8.9° N | 11° | 0° | 5.06 |
| Cové | 7.2° N | 8° | 0° | 4.77 |
Daylight and clock time in Benin
In Malanville (11.9° N), the northernmost place, the longest day of the year lasts 12 h 49 min and the shortest 11 h 26 min; in Ouidah (6.4° N), the southernmost, 12 h 30 min and 11 h 45 min. Benin does not use daylight saving time: the clocks stay the same all year.
| Time zone | Places | UTC offset | Clocks change in 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Africa/Porto-Novo | 66 | UTC+1 | no daylight saving time |