36 places · sun position · panel angle
Solar data for Costa Rica
Across the 36 places in Costa Rica the best fixed tilt for solar panels runs from 11° in Limón to 13° in Liberia, and flat ground gets 4.3 to 5.3 peak sun hours a day. Every number is computed for each place.
Solar power in Costa Rica at a glance
Averages over 36 places with climate data, for a fixed array facing south.
- 4.34–4.53
- 4.53–4.71
- 4.71–4.90
- 4.90–5.08
- 5.08–5.27
Peak sun hours a day on flat ground. Each dot is one place.
The sunniest place in Costa Rica is Nicoya (Guanacaste Province) with 5.27 peak sun hours a day on flat ground; the least sunny is Siquirres with 4.34. A 1 kWp array at its best angle makes from 1,291 kWh a year in Siquirres to 1,552 kWh in Nicoya — 1,386 kWh on average.
The best year-round tilt runs from 11° in Limón to 13° in Liberia. Off-grid systems are sized for the darkest month and do better steeper, at 8° on average: at 70° that month brings 1.20 kWh per kWp a day in Limón and 1.26 kWh in San Isidro.
Size an off-grid system or open any place below for its sun path, monthly table and tilt curve.
Sunniest places in Costa Rica
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 | Nicoya | Guanacaste Province | 5.27 | 1,552 | 13° |
| 2 | Liberia | Guanacaste Province | 5.20 | 1,534 | 13° |
| 3 | Puntarenas | Puntarenas Province | 4.97 | 1,468 | 12° |
| 4 | San José | Alajuela Province | 4.94 | 1,460 | 13° |
| 5 | Cañas | Guanacaste Province | 4.93 | 1,459 | 12° |
| 5 | Chacarita | Puntarenas Province | 4.93 | 1,457 | 12° |
| 7 | Esparza | Puntarenas Province | 4.87 | 1,438 | 12° |
| 8 | Tejar | San José | 4.81 | 1,424 | 12° |
| 9 | San Rafael Abajo | San José | 4.79 | 1,417 | 12° |
| 10 | Aserrí | San José | 4.67 | 1,384 | 12° |
Least sunny places in Costa Rica
Solar by region in Costa Rica
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guanacaste Province | 3 | 5.13 | 1,515 | 13° | 1.25 kWh | Nicoya |
| Puntarenas Province | 3 | 4.92 | 1,454 | 12° | 1.24 kWh | Puntarenas |
| Alajuela Province | 3 | 4.70 | 1,390 | 12° | 1.24 kWh | San José |
| San José | 18 | 4.65 | 1,378 | 12° | 1.25 kWh | Tejar |
| Heredia Province | 2 | 4.61 | 1,365 | 12° | 1.24 kWh | Heredia |
| Cartago Province | 4 | 4.55 | 1,352 | 11° | 1.24 kWh | San Diego |
| Limón Province | 3 | 4.37 | 1,296 | 11° | 1.20 kWh | Guápiles |
Largest places in Costa Rica at a glance
| Place | Latitude | Best tilt | Off-grid tilt | Sun hours/day (flat) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San José | 9.9° N | 12° | 9° | 4.63 |
| Limón | 10.0° N | 11° | 9° | 4.37 |
| Alajuela | 10.0° N | 12° | 8° | 4.64 |
| Liberia | 10.6° N | 13° | 8° | 5.20 |
| Paraíso | 9.8° N | 11° | 9° | 4.57 |
| Puntarenas | 10.0° N | 12° | 6° | 4.97 |
| San Isidro | 9.4° N | 11° | 10° | 4.61 |
| Curridabat | 9.9° N | 11° | 9° | 4.62 |
| San Vicente | 10.0° N | 11° | 9° | 4.60 |
| San Vicente de Moravia | 10.0° N | 11° | 9° | 4.60 |
| San José | 11.0° N | 13° | 3° | 4.94 |
| Purral | 10.0° N | 11° | 9° | 4.60 |
| Turrialba | 9.9° N | 11° | 10° | 4.46 |
| San Miguel | 9.9° N | 12° | 9° | 4.65 |
| San Pedro | 9.9° N | 12° | 9° | 4.62 |
| San Rafael Abajo | 9.8° N | 12° | 8° | 4.79 |
| Quesada | 10.3° N | 11° | 9° | 4.51 |
| Cartago | 9.9° N | 11° | 9° | 4.58 |
| Chacarita | 10.0° N | 12° | 6° | 4.93 |
| San Juan | 10.0° N | 12° | 9° | 4.62 |
Daylight and clock time in Costa Rica
In San José (11.0° N), the northernmost place, the longest day of the year lasts 12 h 46 min and the shortest 11 h 29 min; in San Isidro (9.4° N), the southernmost, 12 h 40 min and 11 h 35 min. Costa Rica does not use daylight saving time: the clocks stay the same all year.
| Time zone | Places | UTC offset | Clocks change in 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| America/Costa_Rica | 36 | UTC−6 | no daylight saving time |