12 places · sun position · panel angle
Solar data for Jamaica
Across the 12 places in Jamaica the best fixed tilt for solar panels runs from 17° in Kingston to 18° in Montego Bay, and flat ground gets 5.3 to 5.5 peak sun hours a day. Every number is computed for each place.
Solar power in Jamaica at a glance
Averages over 12 places with climate data, for a fixed array facing south.
- 5.25–5.31
- 5.31–5.37
- 5.37–5.42
- 5.42–5.48
- 5.48–5.54
Peak sun hours a day on flat ground. Each dot is one place.
The sunniest place in Jamaica is Savanna-la-Mar (Westmoreland) with 5.54 peak sun hours a day on flat ground; the least sunny is Ocho Rios with 5.25. A 1 kWp array at its best angle makes from 1,572 kWh a year in Ocho Rios to 1,660 kWh in Savanna-la-Mar — 1,618 kWh on average.
The best year-round tilt runs from 17° in Kingston to 18° in Montego Bay. Off-grid systems are sized for the darkest month and do better steeper, at 23° on average: at 70° that month brings 1.68 kWh per kWp a day in Old Harbour and 1.70 kWh in Barrett Town.
Size an off-grid system or open any place below for its sun path, monthly table and tilt curve.
Sunniest places in Jamaica
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 | Savanna-la-Mar | Westmoreland | 5.54 | 1,660 | 18° |
| 2 | Old Harbour | Saint Catherine Parish | 5.46 | 1,632 | 17° |
| 3 | May Pen | Clarendon | 5.45 | 1,632 | 17° |
| 4 | Portmore | Saint Catherine Parish | 5.43 | 1,625 | 17° |
| 4 | Mandeville | Manchester | 5.43 | 1,624 | 17° |
| 4 | Spanish Town | Saint Catherine Parish | 5.43 | 1,624 | 17° |
| 7 | Kingston | Kingston | 5.42 | 1,621 | 17° |
| 8 | Half Way Tree | Saint Andrew Parish | 5.41 | 1,619 | 17° |
| 9 | Montego Bay | Saint James Parish | 5.37 | 1,610 | 18° |
| 9 | Linstead | Saint Catherine Parish | 5.37 | 1,607 | 17° |
Solar by region in Jamaica
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westmoreland | 1 | 5.54 | 1,660 | 18° | 1.69 kWh | Savanna-la-Mar |
| Clarendon | 1 | 5.45 | 1,632 | 17° | 1.69 kWh | May Pen |
| Manchester | 1 | 5.43 | 1,624 | 17° | 1.69 kWh | Mandeville |
| Saint Catherine Parish | 4 | 5.42 | 1,622 | 17° | 1.69 kWh | Old Harbour |
| Kingston | 1 | 5.42 | 1,621 | 17° | 1.69 kWh | Kingston |
| Saint Andrew Parish | 1 | 5.41 | 1,619 | 17° | 1.69 kWh | Half Way Tree |
| Saint James Parish | 2 | 5.35 | 1,602 | 18° | 1.70 kWh | Montego Bay |
| Saint Ann Parish | 1 | 5.25 | 1,572 | 17° | 1.70 kWh | Ocho Rios |
Largest places in Jamaica at a glance
| Place | Latitude | Best tilt | Off-grid tilt | Sun hours/day (flat) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kingston | 18.0° N | 17° | 23° | 5.42 |
| Spanish Town | 18.0° N | 17° | 23° | 5.43 |
| Portmore | 18.0° N | 17° | 23° | 5.43 |
| Montego Bay | 18.5° N | 18° | 22° | 5.37 |
| Mandeville | 18.0° N | 17° | 22° | 5.43 |
| May Pen | 18.0° N | 17° | 23° | 5.45 |
| Ocho Rios | 18.4° N | 17° | 24° | 5.25 |
| Old Harbour | 17.9° N | 17° | 23° | 5.46 |
| Linstead | 18.1° N | 17° | 23° | 5.37 |
| Half Way Tree | 18.0° N | 17° | 23° | 5.41 |
| Barrett Town | 18.5° N | 17° | 23° | 5.32 |
| Savanna-la-Mar | 18.2° N | 18° | 21° | 5.54 |
Daylight and clock time in Jamaica
In Barrett Town (18.5° N), the northernmost place, the longest day of the year lasts 13 h 15 min and the shortest 11 h 01 min; in Old Harbour (17.9° N), the southernmost, 13 h 12 min and 11 h 03 min. Jamaica does not use daylight saving time: the clocks stay the same all year.
| Time zone | Places | UTC offset | Clocks change in 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| America/Jamaica | 12 | UTC−5 | no daylight saving time |