102 places · sun position · panel angle
Solar data for Guatemala
Across the 102 places in Guatemala the best fixed tilt for solar panels runs from 14° in Cobán to 17° in Guatemala City, and flat ground gets 4.8 to 5.7 peak sun hours a day. Every number is computed for each place.
Solar power in Guatemala at a glance
Averages over 102 places with climate data, for a fixed array facing south.
- 4.81–4.98
- 4.98–5.15
- 5.15–5.32
- 5.32–5.48
- 5.48–5.65
Peak sun hours a day on flat ground. Each dot is one place.
The sunniest place in Guatemala is Puerto San José (Escuintla) with 5.65 peak sun hours a day on flat ground; the least sunny are San Pedro Carchá and one other place with 4.81. A 1 kWp array at its best angle makes from 1,449 kWh a year in Morales to 1,702 kWh in Puerto San José — 1,603 kWh on average.
The best year-round tilt runs from 14° in Cobán to 17° in Guatemala City. Off-grid systems are sized for the darkest month and do better steeper, at 10° on average: at 70° that month brings 1.36 kWh per kWp a day in Mazatenango and 1.52 kWh in San Benito.
Size an off-grid system or open any place below for its sun path, monthly table and tilt curve.
Sunniest places in Guatemala
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 | Puerto San José | Escuintla | 5.65 | 1,702 | 17° |
| 2 | Jalpatagua | Jutiapa | 5.61 | 1,697 | 16° |
| 2 | Guazacapán | Santa Rosa Department | 5.61 | 1,697 | 17° |
| 4 | Jutiapa | Jutiapa | 5.56 | 1,684 | 16° |
| 4 | Asunción Mita | Jutiapa | 5.56 | 1,684 | 16° |
| 6 | La Gomera | Escuintla | 5.54 | 1,676 | 17° |
| 7 | Cuilapa | Santa Rosa Department | 5.53 | 1,677 | 17° |
| 8 | Barberena | Santa Rosa Department | 5.51 | 1,672 | 17° |
| 8 | Masagua | Escuintla | 5.50 | 1,668 | 17° |
| 10 | Escuintla | Escuintla | 5.46 | 1,659 | 17° |
Least sunny places in Guatemala
| Rank | Place | Region | Sun hours/day | kWh per kWp a year | Best tilt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 97 | Poptún | Petén | 4.86 | 1,453 | 15° |
| 99 | El Estor | Izabal Department | 4.85 | 1,457 | 14° |
| 100 | Morales | Izabal Department | 4.85 | 1,449 | 14° |
| 101 | Cobán | Alta Verapaz | 4.81 | 1,462 | 14° |
| 101 | San Pedro Carchá | Alta Verapaz | 4.81 | 1,461 | 14° |
Solar by region in Guatemala
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jutiapa | 3 | 5.58 | 1,688 | 16° | 1.40 kWh | Jalpatagua |
| Santa Rosa Department | 3 | 5.55 | 1,682 | 17° | 1.40 kWh | Guazacapán |
| Escuintla | 7 | 5.48 | 1,663 | 17° | 1.38 kWh | Puerto San José |
| Jalapa | 2 | 5.38 | 1,635 | 16° | 1.42 kWh | San Luis Jilotepeque |
| Chiquimula | 2 | 5.37 | 1,628 | 15° | 1.43 kWh | Esquipulas |
| Guatemala | 13 | 5.34 | 1,629 | 17° | 1.42 kWh | Fraijanes |
| Sacatepéquez | 8 | 5.33 | 1,627 | 17° | 1.41 kWh | Santa María de Jesús |
| Retalhuleu | 5 | 5.33 | 1,623 | 17° | 1.38 kWh | El Asintal |
| San Marcos | 4 | 5.32 | 1,631 | 17° | 1.42 kWh | Malacatán |
| Suchitepeque | 6 | 5.29 | 1,613 | 17° | 1.37 kWh | Patulul |
| Chimaltenango | 9 | 5.28 | 1,612 | 17° | 1.40 kWh | Yepocapa |
| Quetzaltenango | 9 | 5.27 | 1,615 | 17° | 1.40 kWh | Coatepeque |
| Sololá | 3 | 5.24 | 1,603 | 17° | 1.40 kWh | Santiago Atitlán |
| El Progreso | 2 | 5.24 | 1,594 | 16° | 1.43 kWh | Sanarate |
| Totonicapán | 4 | 5.21 | 1,602 | 17° | 1.41 kWh | San Andrés Xecul |
| Huehuetenango | 3 | 5.16 | 1,598 | 17° | 1.47 kWh | Huehuetenango |
| Zacapa | 2 | 5.15 | 1,555 | 15° | 1.44 kWh | Zacapa |
| Quiché | 3 | 5.13 | 1,579 | 17° | 1.43 kWh | Chichicastenango |
| Baja Verapaz | 2 | 5.04 | 1,536 | 16° | 1.44 kWh | Rabinal |
| Petén | 3 | 4.93 | 1,476 | 15° | 1.51 kWh | San Benito |
| Izabal Department | 4 | 4.87 | 1,456 | 14° | 1.46 kWh | Lívingston |
| Alta Verapaz | 5 | 4.85 | 1,471 | 14° | 1.45 kWh | Panzos |
Largest places in Guatemala at a glance
| Place | Latitude | Best tilt | Off-grid tilt | Sun hours/day (flat) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guatemala City | 14.6° N | 17° | 9° | 5.31 |
| Villa Nueva | 14.5° N | 17° | 8° | 5.37 |
| Mixco | 14.6° N | 17° | 9° | 5.31 |
| Cobán | 15.5° N | 14° | 21° | 4.81 |
| Quetzaltenango | 14.8° N | 17° | 7° | 5.24 |
| Jalapa | 14.6° N | 16° | 10° | 5.37 |
| Escuintla | 14.3° N | 17° | 7° | 5.46 |
| Villa Canales | 14.5° N | 17° | 8° | 5.40 |
| Jutiapa | 14.3° N | 16° | 9° | 5.56 |
| Chichicastenango | 14.9° N | 17° | 9° | 5.18 |
| San Juan Sacatepéquez | 14.7° N | 16° | 9° | 5.26 |
| Petapa | 14.5° N | 17° | 8° | 5.39 |
| Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa | 14.3° N | 17° | 7° | 5.41 |
| Chiquimula | 14.8° N | 15° | 13° | 5.31 |
| Coatepeque | 14.7° N | 17° | 6° | 5.39 |
| Chinautla | 14.7° N | 16° | 10° | 5.27 |
| Totonicapán | 14.9° N | 17° | 8° | 5.21 |
| Puerto Barrios | 15.7° N | 14° | 29° | 4.88 |
| Chimaltenango | 14.7° N | 17° | 8° | 5.28 |
| Malacatán | 14.9° N | 17° | 7° | 5.40 |
Daylight and clock time in Guatemala
In Flores (16.9° N), the northernmost place, the longest day of the year lasts 13 h 08 min and the shortest 11 h 07 min; in Puerto San José (13.9° N), the southernmost, 12 h 57 min and 11 h 18 min. Guatemala does not use daylight saving time: the clocks stay the same all year.
| Time zone | Places | UTC offset | Clocks change in 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| America/Guatemala | 102 | UTC−6 | no daylight saving time |