20 places · sun position · panel angle
Solar data for Panama
Across the 20 places in Panama the best fixed tilt for solar panels runs from 10° in Santiago de Veraguas to 11° in Panama City, and flat ground gets 4.3 to 4.7 peak sun hours a day. Every number is computed for each place.
Solar power in Panama at a glance
Averages over 20 places with climate data, for a fixed array facing south.
- 4.29–4.38
- 4.38–4.46
- 4.46–4.55
- 4.55–4.64
- 4.64–4.73
Peak sun hours a day on flat ground. Each dot is one place.
The sunniest place in Panama is Veracruz (Panamá Oeste Province) with 4.73 peak sun hours a day on flat ground; the least sunny is Changuinola with 4.29. A 1 kWp array at its best angle makes from 1,263 kWh a year in Changuinola to 1,384 kWh in Veracruz — 1,356 kWh on average.
The best year-round tilt runs from 10° in Santiago de Veraguas to 11° in Panama City. Off-grid systems are sized for the darkest month and do better steeper, at 6° on average: at 70° that month brings 1.13 kWh per kWp a day in Santiago de Veraguas and 1.21 kWh in La Concepción.
Size an off-grid system or open any place below for its sun path, monthly table and tilt curve.
Sunniest places in Panama
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 | Veracruz | Panamá Oeste Province | 4.73 | 1,384 | 11° |
| 2 | Ancón | Panamá | 4.71 | 1,379 | 11° |
| 2 | Curundú | Panamá | 4.71 | 1,377 | 11° |
| 4 | Arraiján | Panamá Oeste Province | 4.70 | 1,376 | 11° |
| 4 | La Chorrera | Panamá Oeste Province | 4.70 | 1,376 | 11° |
| 4 | Panama City | Panamá | 4.70 | 1,376 | 11° |
| 7 | Juan Díaz | Panamá | 4.68 | 1,368 | 11° |
| 8 | La Concepción | Chiriquí Province | 4.67 | 1,376 | 11° |
| 8 | San Miguelito | Panamá | 4.67 | 1,367 | 11° |
| 10 | Pedregal | Chiriquí Province | 4.66 | 1,371 | 11° |
Least sunny places in Panama
| Rank | Place | Region | Sun hours/day | kWh per kWp a year | Best tilt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | Chilibre | Panamá | 4.61 | 1,348 | 11° |
| 17 | Sabanitas | Colón | 4.52 | 1,320 | 11° |
| 18 | Cativá | Colón | 4.51 | 1,318 | 11° |
| 18 | Colón | Colón | 4.51 | 1,317 | 11° |
| 20 | Changuinola | Bocas del Toro Province | 4.29 | 1,263 | 10° |
Solar by region in Panama
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panamá Oeste Province | 3 | 4.71 | 1,379 | 11° | 1.16 kWh | Veracruz |
| Panamá | 8 | 4.67 | 1,366 | 11° | 1.17 kWh | Ancón |
| Chiriquí Province | 3 | 4.66 | 1,371 | 11° | 1.20 kWh | La Concepción |
| Coclé | 1 | 4.63 | 1,360 | 11° | 1.17 kWh | Penonomé |
| Veraguas Province | 1 | 4.63 | 1,357 | 10° | 1.13 kWh | Santiago de Veraguas |
| Colón | 3 | 4.51 | 1,318 | 11° | 1.19 kWh | Sabanitas |
| Bocas del Toro Province | 1 | 4.29 | 1,263 | 10° | 1.16 kWh | Changuinola |
Largest places in Panama at a glance
| Place | Latitude | Best tilt | Off-grid tilt | Sun hours/day (flat) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panama City | 9.0° N | 11° | 4° | 4.70 |
| San Miguelito | 9.1° N | 11° | 4° | 4.67 |
| Juan Díaz | 9.0° N | 11° | 4° | 4.68 |
| David | 8.4° N | 11° | 9° | 4.64 |
| Colón | 9.4° N | 11° | 9° | 4.51 |
| Arraiján | 8.9° N | 11° | 4° | 4.70 |
| La Chorrera | 8.9° N | 11° | 4° | 4.70 |
| Tocumen | 9.1° N | 11° | 5° | 4.65 |
| Santiago de Veraguas | 8.1° N | 10° | 2° | 4.63 |
| Chilibre | 9.2° N | 11° | 6° | 4.61 |
| Cativá | 9.4° N | 11° | 9° | 4.51 |
| Ancón | 9.0° N | 11° | 3° | 4.71 |
| Alcalde Díaz | 9.1° N | 11° | 5° | 4.63 |
| Changuinola | 9.4° N | 10° | 5° | 4.29 |
| La Concepción | 8.5° N | 11° | 9° | 4.67 |
| Pedregal | 8.4° N | 11° | 9° | 4.66 |
| Veracruz | 8.9° N | 11° | 3° | 4.73 |
| Curundú | 9.0° N | 11° | 4° | 4.71 |
| Penonomé | 8.5° N | 11° | 5° | 4.63 |
| Sabanitas | 9.3° N | 11° | 9° | 4.52 |
Daylight and clock time in Panama
In Changuinola (9.4° N), the northernmost place, the longest day of the year lasts 12 h 41 min and the shortest 11 h 35 min; in Santiago de Veraguas (8.1° N), the southernmost, 12 h 36 min and 11 h 39 min. Panama does not use daylight saving time: the clocks stay the same all year.
| Time zone | Places | UTC offset | Clocks change in 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| America/Panama | 20 | UTC−5 | no daylight saving time |