11 places · sun position · panel angle
Solar data for Lesotho
Across the 11 places in Lesotho the best fixed tilt for solar panels runs from 30° in Maseru to 31° in Quthing, and flat ground gets 5.4 to 5.7 peak sun hours a day. Every number is computed for each place.
Solar power in Lesotho at a glance
Averages over 11 places with climate data, for a fixed array facing north.
- 5.35–5.42
- 5.42–5.48
- 5.48–5.55
- 5.55–5.61
- 5.61–5.68
Peak sun hours a day on flat ground. Each dot is one place.
The sunniest places in Lesotho, with 5.68 peak sun hours a day on flat ground, are Mafeteng and one other place; the least sunny is Qacha’s Nek with 5.35. A 1 kWp array at its best angle makes from 1,854 kWh a year in Qacha’s Nek to 1,935 kWh in Mafeteng — 1,916 kWh on average.
The best year-round tilt runs from 30° in Maseru to 31° in Quthing. Off-grid systems are sized for the darkest month and do better steeper, at 34° on average: at 70° that month brings 2.53 kWh per kWp a day in Butha-Buthe and 2.67 kWh in Quthing.
Size an off-grid system or open any place below for its sun path, monthly table and tilt curve.
Sunniest places in Lesotho
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 | Mafeteng | Mafeteng District | 5.68 | 1,935 | 30° |
| 1 | Maseru | Maseru District | 5.68 | 1,933 | 30° |
| 3 | Mabote | Berea | 5.67 | 1,933 | 30° |
| 4 | Teyateyaneng | Berea | 5.65 | 1,929 | 30° |
| 5 | Maputsoe | Leribe | 5.64 | 1,925 | 30° |
| 6 | Hlotse | Leribe | 5.62 | 1,923 | 30° |
| 7 | Mohale's Hoek | Mohale's Hoek District | 5.61 | 1,921 | 30° |
| 8 | Butha-Buthe | Butha-Buthe | 5.60 | 1,918 | 30° |
| 9 | Quthing | Quthing | 5.55 | 1,906 | 31° |
| 10 | Thaba-Tseka | Thaba-Tseka | 5.48 | 1,904 | 31° |
Solar by region in Lesotho
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mafeteng District | 1 | 5.68 | 1,935 | 30° | 2.64 kWh | Mafeteng |
| Maseru District | 1 | 5.68 | 1,933 | 30° | 2.60 kWh | Maseru |
| Berea | 2 | 5.66 | 1,931 | 30° | 2.59 kWh | Mabote |
| Leribe | 2 | 5.63 | 1,924 | 30° | 2.54 kWh | Maputsoe |
| Mohale's Hoek District | 1 | 5.61 | 1,921 | 30° | 2.67 kWh | Mohale's Hoek |
| Butha-Buthe | 1 | 5.60 | 1,918 | 30° | 2.53 kWh | Butha-Buthe |
| Quthing | 1 | 5.55 | 1,906 | 31° | 2.67 kWh | Quthing |
| Thaba-Tseka | 1 | 5.48 | 1,904 | 31° | 2.59 kWh | Thaba-Tseka |
| Qacha's Nek District | 1 | 5.35 | 1,854 | 31° | 2.57 kWh | Qacha’s Nek |
Largest places in Lesotho at a glance
| Place | Latitude | Best tilt | Off-grid tilt | Sun hours/day (flat) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maseru | 29.3° S | 30° | 35° | 5.68 |
| Maputsoe | 28.9° S | 30° | 33° | 5.64 |
| Mohale's Hoek | 30.2° S | 30° | 37° | 5.61 |
| Mafeteng | 29.8° S | 30° | 36° | 5.68 |
| Hlotse | 28.9° S | 30° | 33° | 5.62 |
| Butha-Buthe | 28.8° S | 30° | 32° | 5.60 |
| Mabote | 29.3° S | 30° | 35° | 5.67 |
| Quthing | 30.4° S | 31° | 37° | 5.55 |
| Teyateyaneng | 29.1° S | 30° | 34° | 5.65 |
| Qacha’s Nek | 30.1° S | 31° | 33° | 5.35 |
| Thaba-Tseka | 29.5° S | 31° | 32° | 5.48 |
Daylight and clock time in Lesotho
In Butha-Buthe (28.8° S), the northernmost place, the longest day of the year lasts 13 h 59 min and the shortest 10 h 18 min; in Quthing (30.4° S), the southernmost, 14 h 07 min and 10 h 11 min. Lesotho does not use daylight saving time: the clocks stay the same all year.
| Time zone | Places | UTC offset | Clocks change in 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Africa/Maseru | 11 | UTC+2 | no daylight saving time |