55 places · sun position · panel angle
Solar data for Bulgaria
Across the 55 places in Bulgaria the best fixed tilt for solar panels runs from 32° in Burgas to 35° in Sofia, and flat ground gets 3.8 to 4.2 peak sun hours a day. Every number is computed for each place.
Solar power in Bulgaria at a glance
Averages over 55 places with climate data, for a fixed array facing south.
- 3.79–3.86
- 3.86–3.93
- 3.93–4.01
- 4.01–4.08
- 4.08–4.15
Peak sun hours a day on flat ground. Each dot is one place.
The sunniest place in Bulgaria is Petrich (Blagoevgrad) with 4.15 peak sun hours a day on flat ground; the least sunny is Vidin with 3.79. A 1 kWp array at its best angle makes from 1,329 kWh a year in Vidin to 1,454 kWh in Petrich — 1,377 kWh on average.
The best year-round tilt runs from 32° in Burgas to 35° in Sofia. Off-grid systems are sized for the darkest month and do better steeper, at 66° on average: at 70° that month brings 2.06 kWh per kWp a day in Varna and 2.73 kWh in Gotse Delchev.
Size an off-grid system or open any place below for its sun path, monthly table and tilt curve.
Sunniest places in Bulgaria
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 | Petrich | Blagoevgrad | 4.15 | 1,454 | 34° |
| 2 | Svilengrad | Haskovo | 4.12 | 1,416 | 33° |
| 3 | Sandanski | Blagoevgrad | 4.11 | 1,446 | 34° |
| 4 | Kardzhali | Kardzhali | 4.10 | 1,420 | 33° |
| 5 | Gotse Delchev | Blagoevgrad | 4.09 | 1,438 | 35° |
| 6 | Harmanli | Haskovo | 4.07 | 1,405 | 33° |
| 7 | Smolyan | Smolyan | 4.06 | 1,426 | 34° |
| 8 | Haskovo | Haskovo | 4.05 | 1,403 | 33° |
| 9 | Dimitrovgrad | Haskovo | 4.03 | 1,396 | 34° |
| 10 | Blagoevgrad | Blagoevgrad | 4.00 | 1,411 | 35° |
Least sunny places in Bulgaria
| Rank | Place | Region | Sun hours/day | kWh per kWp a year | Best tilt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | Vratsa | Vratsa | 3.85 | 1,344 | 34° |
| 52 | Berkovitsa | Montana | 3.83 | 1,342 | 35° |
| 52 | Montana | Montana | 3.83 | 1,337 | 34° |
| 54 | Lom | Montana | 3.82 | 1,335 | 35° |
| 55 | Vidin | Vidin | 3.79 | 1,329 | 35° |
Solar by region in Bulgaria
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kardzhali | 1 | 4.10 | 1,420 | 33° | 2.51 kWh | Kardzhali |
| Blagoevgrad | 4 | 4.09 | 1,437 | 35° | 2.68 kWh | Petrich |
| Haskovo | 4 | 4.07 | 1,405 | 33° | 2.39 kWh | Svilengrad |
| Smolyan | 1 | 4.06 | 1,426 | 34° | 2.70 kWh | Smolyan |
| Yambol | 1 | 3.97 | 1,375 | 34° | 2.28 kWh | Yambol |
| Burgas | 3 | 3.97 | 1,364 | 33° | 2.15 kWh | Burgas |
| Plovdiv | 5 | 3.96 | 1,388 | 34° | 2.48 kWh | Parvomay |
| Sliven | 2 | 3.95 | 1,372 | 34° | 2.29 kWh | Nova Zagora |
| Varna | 1 | 3.95 | 1,358 | 33° | 2.06 kWh | Varna |
| Stara Zagora | 3 | 3.95 | 1,376 | 34° | 2.37 kWh | Chirpan |
| Pazardzhik | 4 | 3.94 | 1,390 | 35° | 2.60 kWh | Velingrad |
| Kyustendil | 2 | 3.94 | 1,391 | 35° | 2.51 kWh | Kyustendil |
| Shumen | 1 | 3.93 | 1,363 | 34° | 2.19 kWh | Shumen |
| Dobrich | 1 | 3.92 | 1,355 | 33° | 2.09 kWh | Dobrich |
| Targovishte | 2 | 3.92 | 1,365 | 34° | 2.19 kWh | Targovishte |
| Veliko Tarnovo | 3 | 3.92 | 1,362 | 34° | 2.15 kWh | Veliko Tŭrnovo |
| Gabrovo | 2 | 3.92 | 1,364 | 34° | 2.25 kWh | Gabrovo |
| Pleven | 1 | 3.91 | 1,358 | 34° | 2.12 kWh | Pleven |
| Lovech | 2 | 3.91 | 1,364 | 35° | 2.26 kWh | Lovech |
| Razgrad | 1 | 3.91 | 1,363 | 34° | 2.18 kWh | Razgrad |
| Silistra | 1 | 3.89 | 1,354 | 34° | 2.07 kWh | Silistra |
| Ruse | 1 | 3.89 | 1,355 | 35° | 2.09 kWh | Ruse |
| Sofia | 2 | 3.88 | 1,365 | 35° | 2.43 kWh | Samokov |
| Pernik | 1 | 3.86 | 1,364 | 35° | 2.41 kWh | Pernik |
| Vratsa | 1 | 3.85 | 1,344 | 34° | 2.17 kWh | Vratsa |
| Sofia-Capital | 1 | 3.85 | 1,358 | 35° | 2.38 kWh | Sofia |
| Montana | 3 | 3.83 | 1,338 | 35° | 2.15 kWh | Berkovitsa |
| Vidin | 1 | 3.79 | 1,329 | 35° | 2.16 kWh | Vidin |
Largest places in Bulgaria at a glance
| Place | Latitude | Best tilt | Off-grid tilt | Sun hours/day (flat) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sofia | 42.7° N | 35° | 68° | 3.85 |
| Plovdiv | 42.2° N | 35° | 65° | 3.96 |
| Varna | 43.2° N | 33° | 65° | 3.95 |
| Burgas | 42.5° N | 32° | 64° | 3.97 |
| Stara Zagora | 42.4° N | 34° | 65° | 3.95 |
| Ruse | 43.8° N | 35° | 66° | 3.89 |
| Pleven | 43.4° N | 34° | 65° | 3.91 |
| Sliven | 42.7° N | 34° | 65° | 3.95 |
| Pernik | 42.6° N | 35° | 68° | 3.86 |
| Shumen | 43.3° N | 34° | 65° | 3.93 |
| Dobrich | 43.6° N | 33° | 65° | 3.92 |
| Blagoevgrad | 42.0° N | 35° | 68° | 4.00 |
| Haskovo | 41.9° N | 33° | 65° | 4.05 |
| Yambol | 42.5° N | 34° | 65° | 3.97 |
| Veliko Tŭrnovo | 43.1° N | 34° | 65° | 3.93 |
| Pazardzhik | 42.2° N | 35° | 68° | 3.94 |
| Asenovgrad | 42.0° N | 34° | 65° | 3.99 |
| Vratsa | 43.2° N | 34° | 65° | 3.85 |
| Gabrovo | 42.9° N | 34° | 65° | 3.92 |
| Kazanlak | 42.6° N | 34° | 65° | 3.92 |
Daylight and clock time in Bulgaria
In Silistra (44.1° N), the northernmost place, the longest day of the year lasts 15 h 30 min and the shortest 8 h 52 min; in Petrich (41.4° N), the southernmost, 15 h 10 min and 9 h 11 min. The clocks change twice a year: forward on Sun 29 Mar, back on Sun 25 Oct (Europe/Sofia).
| Time zone | Places | UTC offset | Clocks change in 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Europe/Sofia | 55 | UTC+2, in summer UTC+3 | Forward on Sun 29 Mar, back on Sun 25 Oct |