21 places · sun position · panel angle
Solar data for Puerto Rico
Across the 21 places in Puerto Rico the best fixed tilt for solar panels runs from 17° in San Juan to 18° in Arecibo, and flat ground gets 5.3 to 5.6 peak sun hours a day. Every number is computed for each place.
Solar power in Puerto Rico at a glance
Averages over 21 places with climate data, for a fixed array facing south.
- 5.26–5.32
- 5.32–5.38
- 5.38–5.44
- 5.44–5.50
- 5.50–5.56
Peak sun hours a day on flat ground. Each dot is one place.
The sunniest place in Puerto Rico is Guayama (Guayama) with 5.56 peak sun hours a day on flat ground; the least sunny are Barceloneta and one other place with 5.26. A 1 kWp array at its best angle makes from 1,577 kWh a year in Barceloneta to 1,668 kWh in Guayama — 1,627 kWh on average.
The best year-round tilt runs from 17° in San Juan to 18° in Arecibo. Off-grid systems are sized for the darkest month and do better steeper, at 24° on average: at 70° that month brings 1.73 kWh per kWp a day in Guayama and 1.77 kWh in Vega Baja.
Size an off-grid system or open any place below for its sun path, monthly table and tilt curve.
Sunniest places in Puerto Rico
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 | Guayama | Guayama | 5.56 | 1,668 | 17° |
| 2 | Mayagüez | Mayagüez | 5.55 | 1,667 | 18° |
| 2 | Humacao | Humacao | 5.55 | 1,665 | 18° |
| 4 | Yauco | Yauco | 5.54 | 1,664 | 18° |
| 5 | Fajardo | Fajardo | 5.53 | 1,660 | 18° |
| 6 | Ponce | Ponce | 5.51 | 1,653 | 17° |
| 7 | Cayey | Cayey | 5.50 | 1,648 | 17° |
| 8 | Aguadilla | Aguadilla | 5.48 | 1,647 | 18° |
| 9 | Caguas | Caguas | 5.47 | 1,641 | 17° |
| 10 | Carolina | Carolina | 5.43 | 1,630 | 17° |
Least sunny places in Puerto Rico
| Rank | Place | Region | Sun hours/day | kWh per kWp a year | Best tilt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | Levittown | Toa Baja | 5.34 | 1,602 | 17° |
| 18 | Arecibo | Arecibo | 5.31 | 1,594 | 18° |
| 19 | Vega Baja | Vega Baja | 5.28 | 1,584 | 17° |
| 20 | Manatí | Manatí | 5.26 | 1,578 | 17° |
| 20 | Barceloneta | Barceloneta | 5.26 | 1,577 | 17° |
Solar by region in Puerto Rico
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guayama | 1 | 5.56 | 1,668 | 17° | 1.73 kWh | Guayama |
| Humacao | 1 | 5.55 | 1,665 | 18° | 1.74 kWh | Humacao |
| Mayagüez | 1 | 5.55 | 1,667 | 18° | 1.74 kWh | Mayagüez |
| Yauco | 1 | 5.54 | 1,664 | 18° | 1.73 kWh | Yauco |
| Fajardo | 1 | 5.53 | 1,660 | 18° | 1.75 kWh | Fajardo |
| Ponce | 1 | 5.51 | 1,653 | 17° | 1.73 kWh | Ponce |
| Cayey | 1 | 5.50 | 1,648 | 17° | 1.74 kWh | Cayey |
| Aguadilla | 1 | 5.48 | 1,647 | 18° | 1.75 kWh | Aguadilla |
| Caguas | 1 | 5.47 | 1,641 | 17° | 1.75 kWh | Caguas |
| Carolina | 1 | 5.43 | 1,630 | 17° | 1.76 kWh | Carolina |
| Trujillo Alto | 1 | 5.43 | 1,629 | 17° | 1.76 kWh | Trujillo Alto |
| Guaynabo | 1 | 5.40 | 1,620 | 17° | 1.76 kWh | Guaynabo |
| Bayamón | 1 | 5.37 | 1,611 | 17° | 1.76 kWh | Bayamón |
| Cataño | 1 | 5.36 | 1,609 | 17° | 1.76 kWh | Cataño |
| San Juan | 1 | 5.35 | 1,607 | 17° | 1.77 kWh | San Juan |
| Toa Baja | 2 | 5.35 | 1,604 | 17° | 1.76 kWh | Candelaria |
| Arecibo | 1 | 5.31 | 1,594 | 18° | 1.77 kWh | Arecibo |
| Vega Baja | 1 | 5.28 | 1,584 | 17° | 1.77 kWh | Vega Baja |
| Manatí | 1 | 5.26 | 1,578 | 17° | 1.77 kWh | Manatí |
| Barceloneta | 1 | 5.26 | 1,577 | 17° | 1.77 kWh | Barceloneta |
Largest places in Puerto Rico at a glance
| Place | Latitude | Best tilt | Off-grid tilt | Sun hours/day (flat) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Juan | 18.5° N | 17° | 25° | 5.35 |
| Bayamón | 18.4° N | 17° | 24° | 5.37 |
| Carolina | 18.4° N | 17° | 24° | 5.43 |
| Ponce | 18.0° N | 17° | 23° | 5.51 |
| Arecibo | 18.5° N | 18° | 24° | 5.31 |
| Caguas | 18.2° N | 17° | 24° | 5.47 |
| Guaynabo | 18.4° N | 17° | 24° | 5.40 |
| Trujillo Alto | 18.4° N | 17° | 24° | 5.43 |
| Mayagüez | 18.2° N | 18° | 22° | 5.55 |
| Fajardo | 18.3° N | 18° | 24° | 5.53 |
| Levittown | 18.4° N | 17° | 25° | 5.34 |
| Vega Baja | 18.4° N | 17° | 25° | 5.28 |
| Cataño | 18.4° N | 17° | 25° | 5.36 |
| Barceloneta | 18.5° N | 17° | 25° | 5.26 |
| Guayama | 18.0° N | 17° | 23° | 5.56 |
| Humacao | 18.1° N | 18° | 23° | 5.55 |
| Yauco | 18.0° N | 18° | 22° | 5.54 |
| Cayey | 18.1° N | 17° | 23° | 5.50 |
| Candelaria | 18.4° N | 17° | 24° | 5.35 |
| Manatí | 18.4° N | 17° | 25° | 5.26 |
Daylight and clock time in Puerto Rico
In Arecibo (18.5° N), the northernmost place, the longest day of the year lasts 13 h 14 min and the shortest 11 h 01 min; in Guayama (18.0° N), the southernmost, 13 h 13 min and 11 h 03 min. Puerto Rico does not use daylight saving time: the clocks stay the same all year.
| Time zone | Places | UTC offset | Clocks change in 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| America/Puerto_Rico | 21 | UTC−4 | no daylight saving time |