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Solar data for France

Across the 657 places in France the best fixed tilt for solar panels runs from 33° in Ajaccio to 39° in Lille, and flat ground gets 3.1 to 4.5 peak sun hours a day. Every number is computed for each place.

Solar power in France at a glance

Averages over 657 places with climate data, for a fixed array facing south.

Best panel angle37°average, facing south
Peak sun hours3.51a day on flat ground
1 kWp makes1,261kWh a year at the best angle
Off-grid angle69°average, for the darkest month
ParisMarseille 12 (most sun)
  • 3.10–3.37
  • 3.37–3.64
  • 3.64–3.91
  • 3.91–4.18
  • 4.18–4.46

Peak sun hours a day on flat ground. Each dot is one place.

The sunniest places in France, with 4.46 peak sun hours a day on flat ground, are Marseille 12 and 5 other places; the least sunny are Maubeuge and one other place with 3.10. A 1 kWp array at its best angle makes from 1,126 kWh a year in Charleville-Mézières to 1,586 kWh in Gardanne — 1,261 kWh on average.

The best year-round tilt runs from 33° in Ajaccio to 39° in Lille. Off-grid systems are sized for the darkest month and do better steeper, at 69° on average: at 70° that month brings 1.30 kWh per kWp a day in Dunkirk and 3.13 kWh in Gap.

Size an off-grid system or open any place below for its sun path, monthly table and tilt curve.

Sunniest places in France

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.

RankPlaceRegionSun hours/daykWh per kWp a yearBest tilt
1Marseille 12Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur4.461,58436°
1Marseille 11Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur4.461,58436°
1Marseille 10Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur4.461,58336°
1Marseille 09Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur4.461,58336°
1La CiotatProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur4.461,58136°
1AjaccioCorsica4.461,53433°
7AllauchProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur4.451,58536°
7Marseille 13Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur4.451,58336°
7Marseille 04Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur4.451,58336°
7Marseille 05Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur4.451,58336°

Least sunny places in France

RankPlaceRegionSun hours/daykWh per kWp a yearBest tilt
630TourcoingHauts-de-France3.111,13539°
630HazebrouckHauts-de-France3.111,13539°
630HalluinHauts-de-France3.111,13539°
656HautmontHauts-de-France3.101,12839°
656MaubeugeHauts-de-France3.101,12639°

Solar by region in France

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.

RegionPlacesSun hours/daykWh per kWp a yearBest tiltDarkest month at 70°Sunniest place
Corsica24.381,51534°2.69 kWhAjaccio
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur694.371,55636°2.98 kWhMarseille 12
Occitanie334.001,41936°2.59 kWhLunel
New Aquitaine433.731,32236°2.11 kWhPau
Rhône-Alpes603.721,34537°2.20 kWhMontélimar
Pays de la Loire253.561,27337°1.82 kWhLes Sables-d'Olonne
Bourgogne203.481,25337°1.72 kWhMâcon
Brittany183.421,22437°1.62 kWhVannes
Centre-Val de Loire233.411,22337°1.72 kWhChâteauroux
Île-de-France2373.271,17938°1.55 kWhMontereau-Fault-Yonne
Grand Est403.261,17438°1.47 kWhSaint-Louis
Normandy273.251,17538°1.57 kWhAlençon
Hauts-de-France603.141,14339°1.42 kWhBerck-Plage

Largest places in France at a glance

PlaceLatitudeBest tiltOff-grid tiltSun hours/day (flat)
Paris48.9° N38°70°3.27
Marseille43.3° N36°68°4.45
Lyon45.7° N36°68°3.71
Toulouse43.6° N36°63°3.85
Nice43.7° N37°68°4.22
Nantes47.2° N37°69°3.55
Marne La Vallée48.8° N38°70°3.27
Strasbourg48.6° N38°70°3.26
Bordeaux44.8° N36°64°3.76
Montpellier43.6° N36°67°4.20
Lille50.6° N39°72°3.11
Paris 15 Vaugirard48.8° N38°70°3.27
Rennes48.1° N38°70°3.38
Reims49.3° N38°70°3.20
Le Havre49.5° N38°71°3.23
Paris 20 Ménilmontant48.9° N38°70°3.27
Cergy-Pontoise49.0° N38°71°3.25
Paris 18 Buttes-Montmartre48.9° N38°70°3.27
Paris 13 Gobelins48.8° N38°70°3.27
Paris 19 Buttes-Chaumont48.9° N38°70°3.27

Daylight and clock time in France

In Dunkirk (51.0° N), the northernmost place, the longest day of the year lasts 16 h 33 min and the shortest 7 h 54 min; in Ajaccio (41.9° N), the southernmost, 15 h 14 min and 9 h 07 min. The clocks change twice a year: forward on Sun 29 Mar, back on Sun 25 Oct (Europe/Paris).

Time zonePlacesUTC offsetClocks change in 2026
Europe/Paris657UTC+1, in summer UTC+2Forward on Sun 29 Mar, back on Sun 25 Oct

Questions about solar in France

What is the best angle for solar panels in France?
Facing south, between 33° and 39° depending on the place — 37° on average over 657 places. Off-grid systems that must get through the darkest month do better steeper, at about 69° on average.
How many peak sun hours does France get?
From 3.1 hours a day in Maubeuge to 4.5 in Marseille 12 on flat ground, averaged over the year; 3.5 on average.
How much electricity does 1 kWp of solar panels produce in France?
About 1,261 kWh a year at the best fixed angle on average, from 1,126 kWh in Charleville-Mézières to 1,586 kWh in Gardanne. These are long-term climate averages; a single year can be several per cent higher or lower.
Where is the sunniest place in France?
Marseille 12 (Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur) and 5 other places share the most sun of the 657 places: 4.46 peak sun hours a day on flat ground. 1 kWp in Marseille 12 makes about 1,584 kWh a year.
Does France use daylight saving time?
The clocks change twice a year: forward on Sun 29 Mar, back on Sun 25 Oct (Europe/Paris).
How long is the longest day in France?
16 h 33 min in Dunkirk; the shortest day lasts 7 h 54 min in Dunkirk.

All places in France

Île-de-France