40 places · sun position · panel angle
Solar data for Ireland
Across the 40 places in Ireland the best fixed tilt for solar panels runs from 40° in Tralee to 42° in Dublin, and flat ground gets 2.6 to 3.0 peak sun hours a day. Every number is computed for each place.
Solar power in Ireland at a glance
Averages over 40 places with climate data, for a fixed array facing south.
- 2.59–2.66
- 2.66–2.74
- 2.74–2.81
- 2.81–2.89
- 2.89–2.97
Peak sun hours a day on flat ground. Each dot is one place.
The sunniest place in Ireland is Carrigaline (Munster) with 2.97 peak sun hours a day on flat ground; the least sunny is Letterkenny with 2.59. A 1 kWp array at its best angle makes from 963 kWh a year in Letterkenny to 1,100 kWh in Carrigaline — 1,044 kWh on average.
The best year-round tilt runs from 40° in Tralee to 42° in Dublin. Off-grid systems are sized for the darkest month and do better steeper, at 75° on average: at 70° that month brings 0.96 kWh per kWp a day in Letterkenny and 1.44 kWh in Kilkenny.
Size an off-grid system or open any place below for its sun path, monthly table and tilt curve.
Sunniest places in Ireland
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 | Carrigaline | Munster | 2.97 | 1,100 | 40° |
| 2 | Douglas | Munster | 2.95 | 1,093 | 41° |
| 2 | Ballincollig | Munster | 2.94 | 1,090 | 41° |
| 2 | Cork | Munster | 2.94 | 1,090 | 41° |
| 5 | Waterford | Munster | 2.90 | 1,081 | 41° |
| 6 | Wexford | Leinster | 2.88 | 1,074 | 41° |
| 7 | Cluain Meala | Munster | 2.86 | 1,067 | 41° |
| 7 | Tralee | Munster | 2.86 | 1,055 | 40° |
| 9 | Greystones | Leinster | 2.84 | 1,058 | 41° |
| 10 | Bray | Leinster | 2.83 | 1,055 | 41° |
Least sunny places in Ireland
| Rank | Place | Region | Sun hours/day | kWh per kWp a year | Best tilt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | Galway | Connacht | 2.72 | 1,008 | 41° |
| 37 | Navan | Leinster | 2.71 | 1,024 | 42° |
| 38 | Dundalk | Leinster | 2.66 | 1,002 | 42° |
| 39 | Sligo | Connacht | 2.65 | 978 | 41° |
| 40 | Letterkenny | Ulster | 2.59 | 963 | 41° |
Solar by region in Ireland
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Munster | 9 | 2.88 | 1,070 | 41° | 1.36 kWh | Carrigaline |
| Leinster | 28 | 2.77 | 1,042 | 42° | 1.33 kWh | Wexford |
| Connacht | 2 | 2.68 | 993 | 41° | 1.06 kWh | Galway |
| Ulster | 1 | 2.59 | 963 | 41° | 0.96 kWh | Letterkenny |
Largest places in Ireland at a glance
| Place | Latitude | Best tilt | Off-grid tilt | Sun hours/day (flat) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dublin | 53.3° N | 42° | 75° | 2.79 |
| Cork | 51.9° N | 41° | 74° | 2.94 |
| Limerick | 52.7° N | 41° | 74° | 2.77 |
| Galway | 53.3° N | 41° | 74° | 2.72 |
| Tallaght | 53.3° N | 42° | 75° | 2.78 |
| Waterford | 52.3° N | 41° | 74° | 2.90 |
| Drogheda | 53.7° N | 42° | 75° | 2.72 |
| Dundalk | 54.0° N | 42° | 76° | 2.66 |
| Swords | 53.5° N | 42° | 75° | 2.79 |
| Navan | 53.7° N | 42° | 76° | 2.71 |
| Bray | 53.2° N | 41° | 75° | 2.83 |
| Dún Laoghaire | 53.3° N | 41° | 75° | 2.81 |
| Ennis | 52.8° N | 41° | 74° | 2.75 |
| Carlow | 52.8° N | 42° | 75° | 2.79 |
| Douglas | 51.9° N | 41° | 74° | 2.95 |
| Tralee | 52.3° N | 40° | 74° | 2.86 |
| Portlaoise | 53.0° N | 42° | 75° | 2.78 |
| Athlone | 53.4° N | 42° | 75° | 2.73 |
| Droichead Nua | 53.2° N | 42° | 75° | 2.77 |
| An Muileann gCearr | 53.5° N | 42° | 76° | 2.74 |
Daylight and clock time in Ireland
In Letterkenny (55.0° N), the northernmost place, the longest day of the year lasts 17 h 22 min and the shortest 7 h 11 min; in Carrigaline (51.8° N), the southernmost, 16 h 42 min and 7 h 47 min. The clocks change twice a year: forward on Sun 29 Mar, back on Sun 25 Oct (Europe/Dublin).
| Time zone | Places | UTC offset | Clocks change in 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Europe/Dublin | 40 | UTC, in summer UTC+1 | Forward on Sun 29 Mar, back on Sun 25 Oct |