18 places · sun position · panel angle
Solar data for Laos
Across the 18 places in Laos the best fixed tilt for solar panels runs from 18° in Pakse to 23° in Ban Khoan, and flat ground gets 4.2 to 5.0 peak sun hours a day. Every number is computed for each place.
Solar power in Laos at a glance
Averages over 18 places with climate data, for a fixed array facing south.
- 4.19–4.35
- 4.35–4.51
- 4.51–4.67
- 4.67–4.83
- 4.83–5.00
Peak sun hours a day on flat ground. Each dot is one place.
The sunniest place in Laos is Pakse (Champasak Province) with 5.00 peak sun hours a day on flat ground; the least sunny is Xam Nua with 4.19. A 1 kWp array at its best angle makes from 1,282 kWh a year in Xam Nua to 1,511 kWh in Savannakhet — 1,448 kWh on average.
The best year-round tilt runs from 18° in Pakse to 23° in Ban Khoan. Off-grid systems are sized for the darkest month and do better steeper, at 4° on average: at 70° that month brings 1.43 kWh per kWp a day in Sekong and 1.82 kWh in Xam Nua.
Size an off-grid system or open any place below for its sun path, monthly table and tilt curve.
Sunniest places in Laos
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 | Pakse | Champasak Province | 5.00 | 1,503 | 18° |
| 2 | Savannakhet | Savannakhet Province | 4.99 | 1,511 | 19° |
| 3 | Ban Kèngkok | Savannakhet Province | 4.94 | 1,496 | 19° |
| 4 | Ban Xénô | Savannakhet Province | 4.91 | 1,490 | 19° |
| 5 | Vientiane | Vientiane Prefecture | 4.89 | 1,489 | 20° |
| 6 | Ban Laongam | Salavan Province | 4.86 | 1,471 | 19° |
| 7 | Ban Khoan | Bokeo | 4.78 | 1,490 | 23° |
| 8 | Ban Houakhoua | Bokeo | 4.77 | 1,481 | 23° |
| 9 | Thakhèk | Khammouane Province | 4.75 | 1,448 | 20° |
| 10 | Sekong | Xékong | 4.72 | 1,430 | 18° |
Solar by region in Laos
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champasak Province | 1 | 5.00 | 1,503 | 18° | 1.52 kWh | Pakse |
| Savannakhet Province | 3 | 4.95 | 1,499 | 19° | 1.58 kWh | Savannakhet |
| Vientiane Prefecture | 1 | 4.89 | 1,489 | 20° | 1.67 kWh | Vientiane |
| Salavan Province | 1 | 4.86 | 1,471 | 19° | 1.47 kWh | Ban Laongam |
| Bokeo | 2 | 4.78 | 1,486 | 23° | 1.76 kWh | Ban Khoan |
| Khammouane Province | 1 | 4.75 | 1,448 | 20° | 1.55 kWh | Thakhèk |
| Xékong | 1 | 4.72 | 1,430 | 18° | 1.43 kWh | Sekong |
| Vientiane | 1 | 4.68 | 1,440 | 21° | 1.64 kWh | Vang Vieng |
| Bolikhamsai | 2 | 4.65 | 1,436 | 21° | 1.57 kWh | Pakxan |
| Loungnamtha | 1 | 4.61 | 1,442 | 23° | 1.76 kWh | Muang Sing |
| Luang Prabang Province | 1 | 4.59 | 1,422 | 22° | 1.68 kWh | Luang Prabang |
| Oudômxai | 1 | 4.57 | 1,415 | 22° | 1.75 kWh | Muang Xay |
| Xiangkhoang | 1 | 4.48 | 1,390 | 21° | 1.68 kWh | Muang Phônsavan |
| Houaphan | 1 | 4.19 | 1,282 | 19° | 1.82 kWh | Xam Nua |
Largest places in Laos at a glance
| Place | Latitude | Best tilt | Off-grid tilt | Sun hours/day (flat) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vientiane | 18.0° N | 20° | 2° | 4.89 |
| Savannakhet | 16.6° N | 19° | 0° | 4.99 |
| Thakhèk | 17.4° N | 20° | 1° | 4.75 |
| Pakse | 15.1° N | 18° | 0° | 5.00 |
| Ban Khoan | 20.4° N | 23° | 3° | 4.78 |
| Xam Nua | 20.4° N | 19° | 27° | 4.19 |
| Luang Prabang | 19.9° N | 22° | 4° | 4.59 |
| Muang Phônsavan | 19.4° N | 21° | 6° | 4.48 |
| Ban Xénô | 16.7° N | 19° | 1° | 4.91 |
| Muang Xay | 20.7° N | 22° | 7° | 4.57 |
| Vang Vieng | 18.9° N | 21° | 2° | 4.68 |
| Muang Sing | 21.2° N | 23° | 6° | 4.61 |
| Pakxan | 18.4° N | 21° | 2° | 4.69 |
| Ban Laongam | 15.5° N | 19° | 0° | 4.86 |
| Sekong | 15.3° N | 18° | 0° | 4.72 |
| Borikhan | 18.6° N | 21° | 2° | 4.62 |
| Ban Kèngkok | 16.4° N | 19° | 0° | 4.94 |
| Ban Houakhoua | 20.2° N | 23° | 3° | 4.77 |
Daylight and clock time in Laos
In Muang Sing (21.2° N), the northernmost place, the longest day of the year lasts 13 h 25 min and the shortest 10 h 51 min; in Pakse (15.1° N), the southernmost, 13 h 02 min and 11 h 14 min. Laos does not use daylight saving time: the clocks stay the same all year.
| Time zone | Places | UTC offset | Clocks change in 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asia/Vientiane | 18 | UTC+7 | no daylight saving time |