13 places · sun position · panel angle
Solar data for Papua New Guinea
Across the 13 places in Papua New Guinea the best fixed tilt for solar panels runs from 4° in Kokopo to 8° in Port Moresby, and flat ground gets 4.6 to 5.2 peak sun hours a day. Every number is computed for each place.
Solar power in Papua New Guinea at a glance
Averages over 13 places with climate data, for a fixed array facing north.
- 4.59–4.72
- 4.72–4.85
- 4.85–4.98
- 4.98–5.11
- 5.11–5.24
Peak sun hours a day on flat ground. Each dot is one place.
The sunniest place in Papua New Guinea is Port Moresby (National Capital) with 5.24 peak sun hours a day on flat ground; the least sunny is Lae with 4.59. A 1 kWp array at its best angle makes from 1,352 kWh a year in Kimbe to 1,535 kWh in Port Moresby — 1,414 kWh on average.
The best year-round tilt runs from 4° in Kokopo to 8° in Port Moresby. Off-grid systems are sized for the darkest month and do better steeper, at 17° on average: at 70° that month brings 1.11 kWh per kWp a day in Arawa and 1.33 kWh in Mendi.
Size an off-grid system or open any place below for its sun path, monthly table and tilt curve.
Sunniest places in Papua New Guinea
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 | Port Moresby | National Capital | 5.24 | 1,535 | 8° |
| 2 | Daru | Western Province | 4.98 | 1,447 | 8° |
| 3 | Kokopo | East New Britain Province | 4.88 | 1,415 | 4° |
| 4 | Madang | Madang Province | 4.87 | 1,425 | 6° |
| 5 | Popondetta | Oro Province | 4.84 | 1,419 | 8° |
| 6 | Mount Hagen | Western Highlands Province | 4.83 | 1,438 | 6° |
| 6 | Goroka | Eastern Highlands Province | 4.83 | 1,438 | 7° |
| 8 | Arawa | Bougainville | 4.79 | 1,388 | 6° |
| 8 | Wewak | East Sepik Province | 4.79 | 1,386 | 4° |
| 10 | Mendi | Southern Highlands Province | 4.69 | 1,397 | 6° |
Solar by region in Papua New Guinea
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Capital | 1 | 5.24 | 1,535 | 8° | 1.25 kWh | Port Moresby |
| Western Province | 1 | 4.98 | 1,447 | 8° | 1.27 kWh | Daru |
| East New Britain Province | 1 | 4.88 | 1,415 | 4° | 1.12 kWh | Kokopo |
| Madang Province | 1 | 4.87 | 1,425 | 6° | 1.19 kWh | Madang |
| Oro Province | 1 | 4.84 | 1,419 | 8° | 1.24 kWh | Popondetta |
| Eastern Highlands Province | 1 | 4.83 | 1,438 | 7° | 1.29 kWh | Goroka |
| Western Highlands Province | 1 | 4.83 | 1,438 | 6° | 1.32 kWh | Mount Hagen |
| Bougainville | 1 | 4.79 | 1,388 | 6° | 1.11 kWh | Arawa |
| East Sepik Province | 1 | 4.79 | 1,386 | 4° | 1.13 kWh | Wewak |
| Southern Highlands Province | 1 | 4.69 | 1,397 | 6° | 1.33 kWh | Mendi |
| West New Britain Province | 1 | 4.66 | 1,352 | 6° | 1.13 kWh | Kimbe |
| Morobe Province | 2 | 4.63 | 1,368 | 6° | 1.25 kWh | Bulolo |
Largest places in Papua New Guinea at a glance
| Place | Latitude | Best tilt | Off-grid tilt | Sun hours/day (flat) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Port Moresby | 9.5° S | 8° | 20° | 5.24 |
| Lae | 6.7° S | 5° | 28° | 4.59 |
| Arawa | 6.2° S | 6° | 20° | 4.79 |
| Mount Hagen | 5.9° S | 6° | 13° | 4.83 |
| Popondetta | 8.8° S | 8° | 19° | 4.84 |
| Madang | 5.2° S | 6° | 6° | 4.87 |
| Kokopo | 4.3° S | 4° | 15° | 4.88 |
| Mendi | 6.1° S | 6° | 20° | 4.69 |
| Kimbe | 5.6° S | 6° | 6° | 4.66 |
| Goroka | 6.1° S | 7° | 12° | 4.83 |
| Wewak | 3.5° S | 4° | 6° | 4.79 |
| Bulolo | 7.2° S | 6° | 26° | 4.66 |
| Daru | 9.1° S | 8° | 26° | 4.98 |
Daylight and clock time in Papua New Guinea
In Wewak (3.5° S), the northernmost place, the longest day of the year lasts 12 h 20 min and the shortest 11 h 55 min; in Port Moresby (9.5° S), the southernmost, 12 h 41 min and 11 h 34 min. Papua New Guinea does not use daylight saving time: the clocks stay the same all year.
| Time zone | Places | UTC offset | Clocks change in 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pacific/Port_Moresby | 12 | UTC+10 | no daylight saving time |
| Pacific/Bougainville | 1 | UTC+11 | no daylight saving time |