71 places · sun position · panel angle
Solar data for Ecuador
Across the 71 places in Ecuador the best fixed tilt for solar panels runs from 0° in Puerto Francisco de Orellana to 6° in Cariamanga, and flat ground gets 3.6 to 4.7 peak sun hours a day. Every number is computed for each place.
Solar power in Ecuador at a glance
Averages over 71 places with climate data, for a fixed array facing the equator.
- 3.61–3.82
- 3.82–4.04
- 4.04–4.26
- 4.26–4.48
- 4.48–4.70
Peak sun hours a day on flat ground. Each dot is one place.
The sunniest places in Ecuador, with 4.70 peak sun hours a day on flat ground, are Huaquillas and one other place; the least sunny is Rosa Zarate with 3.61. A 1 kWp array at its best angle makes from 1,045 kWh a year in Rosa Zarate to 1,375 kWh in Huaquillas — 1,193 kWh on average.
The best year-round tilt runs from 0° in Puerto Francisco de Orellana to 6° in Cariamanga. Off-grid systems are sized for the darkest month and do better steeper, at 7° on average: at 70° that month brings 0.89 kWh per kWp a day in Rosa Zarate and 1.08 kWh in Puyo.
Size an off-grid system or open any place below for its sun path, monthly table and tilt curve.
Sunniest places in Ecuador
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 | Huaquillas | El Oro | 4.70 | 1,375 | 3° |
| 1 | Playas | Guayas | 4.70 | 1,373 | 2° |
| 3 | La Libertad | Guayas | 4.68 | 1,369 | 2° |
| 4 | Salinas | Santa Elena | 4.67 | 1,368 | 2° |
| 5 | Santa Elena | Santa Elena | 4.66 | 1,363 | 2° |
| 6 | Arenillas | El Oro | 4.58 | 1,344 | 4° |
| 6 | Posorja | Guayas | 4.58 | 1,339 | 3° |
| 8 | Cariamanga | Loja | 4.47 | 1,320 | 6° |
| 9 | Santa Rosa | El Oro | 4.45 | 1,307 | 4° |
| 10 | Machala | El Oro | 4.41 | 1,294 | 3° |
Least sunny places in Ecuador
| Rank | Place | Region | Sun hours/day | kWh per kWp a year | Best tilt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 66 | El Empalme | Guayas | 3.80 | 1,101 | 2° |
| 68 | Valencia | Los Ríos | 3.77 | 1,099 | 2° |
| 69 | Quevedo | Los Ríos | 3.76 | 1,090 | 2° |
| 70 | Santo Domingo de los Colorados | Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas | 3.74 | 1,099 | 1° |
| 71 | Rosa Zarate | Esmeraldas | 3.61 | 1,045 | 0° |
Solar by region in Ecuador
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Elena | 2 | 4.67 | 1,366 | 2° | 1.04 kWh | Salinas |
| El Oro | 7 | 4.43 | 1,300 | 4° | 1.03 kWh | Huaquillas |
| Loja | 3 | 4.28 | 1,264 | 5° | 1.04 kWh | Cariamanga |
| Guayas | 15 | 4.12 | 1,199 | 2° | 0.98 kWh | Playas |
| Zamora Chinchipe | 1 | 4.10 | 1,210 | 5° | 1.05 kWh | Zamora |
| Manabí | 8 | 4.07 | 1,184 | 1° | 1.02 kWh | Manta |
| Sucumbíos | 1 | 4.06 | 1,198 | 2° | 1.00 kWh | Nueva Loja |
| Orellana Province | 2 | 4.03 | 1,182 | 1° | 1.05 kWh | Puerto Francisco de Orellana |
| Pastaza Province | 1 | 4.03 | 1,202 | 2° | 1.08 kWh | Puyo |
| Morona-Santiago Province | 1 | 4.01 | 1,194 | 3° | 1.08 kWh | Macas |
| Napo | 1 | 3.98 | 1,184 | 1° | 1.06 kWh | Tena |
| Pichincha | 4 | 3.93 | 1,187 | 1° | 1.02 kWh | Machachi |
| Tungurahua Province | 2 | 3.92 | 1,185 | 2° | 1.06 kWh | Pelileo |
| Esmeraldas | 3 | 3.92 | 1,137 | 1° | 0.96 kWh | Esmeraldas |
| Chimborazo Province | 1 | 3.90 | 1,171 | 2° | 1.06 kWh | Riobamba |
| Azuay | 2 | 3.89 | 1,154 | 3° | 1.05 kWh | Cuenca |
| Cotopaxi | 3 | 3.88 | 1,161 | 2° | 1.02 kWh | Latacunga |
| Bolívar | 1 | 3.88 | 1,148 | 2° | 1.02 kWh | Guaranda |
| Canar | 2 | 3.87 | 1,140 | 3° | 1.02 kWh | Azogues |
| Los Ríos | 6 | 3.83 | 1,113 | 2° | 0.95 kWh | Vinces |
| Imbabura | 3 | 3.82 | 1,146 | 1° | 0.98 kWh | Otavalo |
| Carchi | 1 | 3.81 | 1,139 | 2° | 0.99 kWh | Tulcán |
| Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas | 1 | 3.74 | 1,099 | 1° | 0.97 kWh | Santo Domingo de los Colorados |
Largest places in Ecuador at a glance
| Place | Latitude | Best tilt | Off-grid tilt | Sun hours/day (flat) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quito | 0.2° S | 1° | 0° | 3.95 |
| Guayaquil | 2.2° S | 2° | 13° | 4.11 |
| Cuenca | 2.9° S | 3° | 4° | 3.90 |
| Santo Domingo de los Colorados | 0.3° S | 1° | 2° | 3.74 |
| Ambato | 1.2° S | 2° | 3° | 3.92 |
| Portoviejo | 1.1° S | 1° | 16° | 4.07 |
| Eloy Alfaro | 2.2° S | 2° | 13° | 4.07 |
| Machala | 3.3° S | 3° | 9° | 4.41 |
| Loja | 4.0° S | 5° | 0° | 4.17 |
| Manta | 0.9° S | 1° | 16° | 4.18 |
| Riobamba | 1.7° S | 2° | 3° | 3.90 |
| Ibarra | 0.3° N | 1° | 0° | 3.81 |
| Esmeraldas | 1.0° N | 1° | 0° | 4.09 |
| Quevedo | 1.0° S | 2° | 7° | 3.76 |
| Latacunga | 0.9° S | 2° | 2° | 3.94 |
| Daule | 1.9° S | 2° | 14° | 4.05 |
| Milagro | 2.1° S | 3° | 10° | 3.90 |
| Tulcán | 0.8° N | 2° | 0° | 3.81 |
| Babahoyo | 1.8° S | 2° | 9° | 3.86 |
| La Libertad | 2.2° S | 2° | 17° | 4.68 |
Daylight and clock time in Ecuador
In San Lorenzo de Esmeraldas (1.3° N), the northernmost place, the longest day of the year lasts 12 h 12 min and the shortest 12 h 03 min; in Cariamanga (4.3° S), the southernmost, 12 h 23 min and 11 h 52 min. Ecuador does not use daylight saving time: the clocks stay the same all year.
| Time zone | Places | UTC offset | Clocks change in 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| America/Guayaquil | 71 | UTC−5 | no daylight saving time |