37 places · sun position · panel angle
Solar data for Nicaragua
Across the 37 places in Nicaragua the best fixed tilt for solar panels runs from 13° in Nueva Guinea to 15° in León, and flat ground gets 4.4 to 5.8 peak sun hours a day. Every number is computed for each place.
Solar power in Nicaragua at a glance
Averages over 37 places with climate data, for a fixed array facing south.
- 4.44–4.72
- 4.72–5.00
- 5.00–5.28
- 5.28–5.56
- 5.56–5.84
Peak sun hours a day on flat ground. Each dot is one place.
The sunniest place in Nicaragua is Corinto (Chinandega Department) with 5.84 peak sun hours a day on flat ground; the least sunny is Nueva Guinea with 4.44. A 1 kWp array at its best angle makes from 1,311 kWh a year in Nueva Guinea to 1,731 kWh in Corinto — 1,576 kWh on average.
The best year-round tilt runs from 13° in Nueva Guinea to 15° in León. Off-grid systems are sized for the darkest month and do better steeper, at 5° on average: at 70° that month brings 1.22 kWh per kWp a day in Bluefields and 1.39 kWh in Ocotal.
Size an off-grid system or open any place below for its sun path, monthly table and tilt curve.
Sunniest places in Nicaragua
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 | Corinto | Chinandega Department | 5.84 | 1,731 | 15° |
| 2 | El Viejo | Chinandega Department | 5.80 | 1,721 | 15° |
| 3 | Chinandega | Chinandega Department | 5.79 | 1,719 | 15° |
| 4 | Chichigalpa | Chinandega Department | 5.77 | 1,710 | 15° |
| 5 | León | León Department | 5.73 | 1,700 | 15° |
| 6 | San Rafael del Sur | Managua Department | 5.69 | 1,682 | 14° |
| 7 | La Paz Centro | León Department | 5.67 | 1,682 | 15° |
| 8 | Nagarote | León Department | 5.65 | 1,675 | 15° |
| 9 | Mateare | Managua Department | 5.59 | 1,657 | 14° |
| 10 | El Crucero | Managua Department | 5.58 | 1,650 | 14° |
Least sunny places in Nicaragua
| Rank | Place | Region | Sun hours/day | kWh per kWp a year | Best tilt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33 | Río Blanco | Matagalpa Department | 4.71 | 1,401 | 14° |
| 34 | Siuna | North Caribbean Coast | 4.62 | 1,373 | 14° |
| 34 | Bluefields | South Caribbean Coast | 4.62 | 1,361 | 13° |
| 36 | Rama | South Caribbean Coast | 4.52 | 1,335 | 13° |
| 37 | Nueva Guinea | South Caribbean Coast | 4.44 | 1,311 | 13° |
Solar by region in Nicaragua
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinandega Department | 5 | 5.76 | 1,708 | 15° | 1.33 kWh | Corinto |
| León Department | 3 | 5.69 | 1,686 | 15° | 1.32 kWh | León |
| Managua Department | 6 | 5.55 | 1,644 | 14° | 1.32 kWh | San Rafael del Sur |
| Carazo Department | 3 | 5.55 | 1,641 | 14° | 1.32 kWh | Diriamba |
| Masaya Department | 2 | 5.47 | 1,620 | 14° | 1.31 kWh | Masatepe |
| Rivas Department | 1 | 5.43 | 1,602 | 14° | 1.30 kWh | Rivas |
| Granada Department | 2 | 5.43 | 1,606 | 14° | 1.31 kWh | Nandaime |
| Estelí Department | 1 | 5.26 | 1,569 | 15° | 1.35 kWh | Estelí |
| Madriz Department | 1 | 5.24 | 1,571 | 15° | 1.38 kWh | Somoto |
| Jinotega Department | 1 | 5.04 | 1,504 | 14° | 1.34 kWh | Jinotega |
| Nueva Segovia Department | 2 | 5.03 | 1,508 | 14° | 1.39 kWh | Ocotal |
| Boaco Department | 2 | 4.98 | 1,482 | 14° | 1.29 kWh | Boaco |
| Chontales Department | 1 | 4.96 | 1,470 | 14° | 1.28 kWh | Juigalpa |
| Matagalpa Department | 2 | 4.88 | 1,452 | 14° | 1.31 kWh | Matagalpa |
| North Caribbean Coast | 2 | 4.81 | 1,427 | 14° | 1.33 kWh | Puerto Cabezas |
| South Caribbean Coast | 3 | 4.52 | 1,336 | 13° | 1.23 kWh | Bluefields |
Largest places in Nicaragua at a glance
| Place | Latitude | Best tilt | Off-grid tilt | Sun hours/day (flat) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Managua | 12.1° N | 14° | 5° | 5.50 |
| León | 12.4° N | 15° | 6° | 5.73 |
| Masaya | 12.0° N | 14° | 4° | 5.45 |
| Chinandega | 12.6° N | 15° | 6° | 5.79 |
| Matagalpa | 12.9° N | 14° | 5° | 5.05 |
| Estelí | 13.1° N | 15° | 6° | 5.26 |
| Granada | 11.9° N | 14° | 3° | 5.37 |
| Mateare | 12.2° N | 14° | 6° | 5.59 |
| Jinotega | 13.1° N | 14° | 6° | 5.04 |
| El Viejo | 12.7° N | 15° | 6° | 5.80 |
| Nueva Guinea | 11.7° N | 13° | 0° | 4.44 |
| Tipitapa | 12.2° N | 14° | 4° | 5.39 |
| Juigalpa | 12.1° N | 14° | 0° | 4.96 |
| Ciudad Sandino | 12.2° N | 14° | 5° | 5.56 |
| Bluefields | 12.0° N | 13° | 5° | 4.62 |
| Diriamba | 11.9° N | 14° | 5° | 5.57 |
| Ocotal | 13.6° N | 14° | 9° | 5.13 |
| Puerto Cabezas | 14.0° N | 14° | 14° | 5.00 |
| Chichigalpa | 12.6° N | 15° | 6° | 5.77 |
| Rivas | 11.4° N | 14° | 2° | 5.43 |
Daylight and clock time in Nicaragua
In Puerto Cabezas (14.0° N), the northernmost place, the longest day of the year lasts 12 h 57 min and the shortest 11 h 18 min; in Rivas (11.4° N), the southernmost, 12 h 48 min and 11 h 27 min. Nicaragua does not use daylight saving time: the clocks stay the same all year.
| Time zone | Places | UTC offset | Clocks change in 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| America/Managua | 37 | UTC−6 | no daylight saving time |