46 places · sun position · panel angle
Solar data for Nepal
Across the 46 places in Nepal the best fixed tilt for solar panels runs from 25° in Rājbirāj to 31° in Dipayal, and flat ground gets 4.3 to 5.0 peak sun hours a day. Every number is computed for each place.
Solar power in Nepal at a glance
Averages over 46 places with climate data, for a fixed array facing south.
- 4.33–4.47
- 4.47–4.62
- 4.62–4.76
- 4.76–4.90
- 4.90–5.04
Peak sun hours a day on flat ground. Each dot is one place.
The sunniest place in Nepal is Dārchulā (Sudurpashchim Pradesh) with 5.04 peak sun hours a day on flat ground; the least sunny is Ilām with 4.33. A 1 kWp array at its best angle makes from 1,401 kWh a year in Bhadrapur to 1,735 kWh in Dārchulā — 1,548 kWh on average.
The best year-round tilt runs from 25° in Rājbirāj to 31° in Dipayal. Off-grid systems are sized for the darkest month and do better steeper, at 16° on average: at 70° that month brings 1.82 kWh per kWp a day in Bhadrapur and 2.26 kWh in Dārchulā.
Size an off-grid system or open any place below for its sun path, monthly table and tilt curve.
Sunniest places in Nepal
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 | Dārchulā | Sudurpashchim Pradesh | 5.04 | 1,735 | 31° |
| 2 | Amargaḍhi̇̄ | Sudurpashchim Pradesh | 4.96 | 1,669 | 31° |
| 3 | Siddharthanagar | Lumbini Province | 4.95 | 1,583 | 28° |
| 4 | Dipayal | Sudurpashchim Pradesh | 4.89 | 1,653 | 31° |
| 4 | Butwāl | Lumbini Province | 4.89 | 1,589 | 28° |
| 6 | Bhimdatta | Sudurpashchim Pradesh | 4.86 | 1,582 | 29° |
| 7 | Tānsen | Lumbini Province | 4.84 | 1,593 | 29° |
| 7 | Bharatpur | Bagmati Province | 4.84 | 1,582 | 29° |
| 7 | Hetauda | Bagmati Province | 4.84 | 1,580 | 29° |
| 10 | Madhyapur Thimi | Bagmati Province | 4.82 | 1,616 | 30° |
Least sunny places in Nepal
| Rank | Place | Region | Sun hours/day | kWh per kWp a year | Best tilt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 42 | Dharān | Koshi | 4.48 | 1,450 | 27° |
| 43 | Dhankutā | Koshi | 4.43 | 1,455 | 28° |
| 44 | Bhadrapur | Koshi | 4.39 | 1,401 | 27° |
| 45 | Khā̃dbāri̇̄ | Koshi | 4.38 | 1,485 | 30° |
| 46 | Ilām | Koshi | 4.33 | 1,421 | 28° |
Solar by region in Nepal
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sudurpashchim Pradesh | 6 | 4.88 | 1,615 | 30° | 2.05 kWh | Dārchulā |
| Lumbini Province | 6 | 4.84 | 1,564 | 28° | 1.95 kWh | Siddharthanagar |
| Bagmati Province | 12 | 4.81 | 1,610 | 30° | 2.00 kWh | Bharatpur |
| Karnali Pradesh | 2 | 4.73 | 1,564 | 29° | 1.98 kWh | Dailekh |
| Gandaki Pradesh | 3 | 4.72 | 1,595 | 29° | 2.03 kWh | Wāliṅ |
| Madhesh | 8 | 4.70 | 1,487 | 26° | 1.94 kWh | Birgañj |
| Koshi | 9 | 4.47 | 1,446 | 27° | 1.90 kWh | Triyuga |
Largest places in Nepal at a glance
| Place | Latitude | Best tilt | Off-grid tilt | Sun hours/day (flat) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kathmandu | 27.7° N | 30° | 8° | 4.82 |
| Pokhara | 28.3° N | 29° | 11° | 4.67 |
| Bharatpur | 27.7° N | 29° | 12° | 4.84 |
| Pātan | 27.7° N | 30° | 8° | 4.82 |
| Birgañj | 27.0° N | 27° | 20° | 4.78 |
| Biratnagar | 26.5° N | 26° | 23° | 4.55 |
| Dhangaḍhi̇̄ | 28.7° N | 28° | 26° | 4.80 |
| Hetauda | 27.4° N | 29° | 10° | 4.84 |
| Janakpur | 26.7° N | 26° | 25° | 4.70 |
| Butwāl | 27.7° N | 28° | 14° | 4.89 |
| Dharān | 26.8° N | 27° | 16° | 4.48 |
| Nepalgunj | 28.1° N | 27° | 23° | 4.78 |
| Birendranagar | 28.6° N | 28° | 16° | 4.71 |
| Madhyapur Thimi | 27.7° N | 30° | 8° | 4.82 |
| Lahān | 26.7° N | 26° | 22° | 4.63 |
| Bhimdatta | 29.0° N | 29° | 22° | 4.86 |
| Triyuga | 26.8° N | 27° | 18° | 4.59 |
| Inaruwa | 26.6° N | 26° | 21° | 4.54 |
| Rājbirāj | 26.5° N | 25° | 26° | 4.62 |
| Banepā | 27.6° N | 30° | 7° | 4.81 |
Daylight and clock time in Nepal
In Dārchulā (29.8° N), the northernmost place, the longest day of the year lasts 14 h 04 min and the shortest 10 h 14 min; in Biratnagar (26.5° N), the southernmost, 13 h 48 min and 10 h 29 min. Nepal does not use daylight saving time: the clocks stay the same all year.
| Time zone | Places | UTC offset | Clocks change in 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asia/Kathmandu | 46 | UTC+5:45 | no daylight saving time |