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Solar data for South Africa

Across the 295 places in South Africa the best fixed tilt for solar panels runs from 24° in Thohoyandou to 32° in East London, and flat ground gets 4.5 to 6.3 peak sun hours a day. Every number is computed for each place.

Solar power in South Africa at a glance

Averages over 295 places with climate data, for a fixed array facing north.

Best panel angle29°average, facing north
Peak sun hours5.41a day on flat ground
1 kWp makes1,806kWh a year at the best angle
Off-grid angle34°average, for the darkest month
JohannesburgUpington (most sun)
  • 4.46–4.83
  • 4.83–5.19
  • 5.19–5.55
  • 5.55–5.92
  • 5.92–6.28

Peak sun hours a day on flat ground. Each dot is one place.

The sunniest place in South Africa is Upington (Northern Cape) with 6.28 peak sun hours a day on flat ground; the least sunny is Port Shepstone with 4.46. A 1 kWp array at its best angle makes from 1,506 kWh a year in Port Shepstone to 2,056 kWh in Upington — 1,806 kWh on average.

The best year-round tilt runs from 24° in Thohoyandou to 32° in East London. Off-grid systems are sized for the darkest month and do better steeper, at 34° on average: at 70° that month brings 1.90 kWh per kWp a day in Musina and 3.10 kWh in Muizenberg.

Size an off-grid system or open any place below for its sun path, monthly table and tilt curve.

Sunniest places in South Africa

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.

RankPlaceRegionSun hours/daykWh per kWp a yearBest tilt
1UpingtonNorthern Cape6.282,05628°
2PostmasburgNorthern Cape6.072,00829°
3De AarNorthern Cape5.982,01530°
4VryburgNorth West5.951,96628°
5PampierstadNorthern Cape5.931,96729°
6Schweizer-RenekeNorth West5.921,96228°
7ChristianaNorth West5.911,96429°
7WarrentonNorthern Cape5.911,96329°
9KimberleyNorthern Cape5.901,96529°
9BloemhofNorth West5.901,96229°

Least sunny places in South Africa

RankPlaceRegionSun hours/daykWh per kWp a yearBest tilt
291ScottburghKwaZulu-Natal4.531,52131°
292Ga-MalakheKwaZulu-Natal4.511,52431°
292EMuziwezintoKwaZulu-Natal4.511,51931°
294MargateKwaZulu-Natal4.501,51731°
295Port ShepstoneKwaZulu-Natal4.461,50631°

Solar by region in South Africa

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.

RegionPlacesSun hours/daykWh per kWp a yearBest tiltDarkest month at 70°Sunniest place
Northern Cape66.011,99629°2.51 kWhUpington
North West295.791,91628°2.29 kWhVryburg
Free State415.721,92529°2.45 kWhHoopstad
Gauteng335.641,87528°2.28 kWhMabopane
Limpopo275.461,76226°2.04 kWhMarapong
Western Cape395.401,82330°3.04 kWhBeaufort West
Mpumalanga485.341,77328°2.22 kWhMoloto South
Eastern Cape345.091,74131°2.69 kWhMiddelburg
KwaZulu-Natal384.811,61530°2.27 kWhNewcastle

Largest places in South Africa at a glance

PlaceLatitudeBest tiltOff-grid tiltSun hours/day (flat)
Johannesburg26.2° S29°28°5.63
Cape Town33.9° S29°60°5.41
Durban29.9° S30°33°4.63
Pretoria25.7° S28°27°5.66
Soweto26.3° S29°29°5.64
Gqeberha34.0° S31°54°4.88
Soshanguve25.5° S28°26°5.68
Pietermaritzburg29.6° S31°28°4.72
Evaton26.5° S29°29°5.63
Benoni26.2° S29°28°5.62
Bloemfontein29.1° S30°34°5.84
Thembisa26.0° S28°28°5.64
East London33.0° S32°46°4.71
Vereeniging26.7° S29°30°5.63
Boksburg26.2° S29°28°5.62
Welkom28.0° S29°32°5.83
Newcastle27.8° S30°29°5.32
Krugersdorp26.1° S28°28°5.65
Rustenburg25.7° S28°27°5.69
Emalahleni25.9° S28°27°5.60

Daylight and clock time in South Africa

In Musina (22.3° S), the northernmost place, the longest day of the year lasts 13 h 30 min and the shortest 10 h 46 min; in Gansbaai (34.6° S), the southernmost, 14 h 29 min and 9 h 50 min. South Africa does not use daylight saving time: the clocks stay the same all year.

Time zonePlacesUTC offsetClocks change in 2026
Africa/Johannesburg295UTC+2no daylight saving time

Questions about solar in South Africa

What is the best angle for solar panels in South Africa?
Facing north, between 24° and 32° depending on the place — 29° on average over 295 places. Off-grid systems that must get through the darkest month do better steeper, at about 34° on average.
How many peak sun hours does South Africa get?
From 4.5 hours a day in Port Shepstone to 6.3 in Upington on flat ground, averaged over the year; 5.4 on average.
How much electricity does 1 kWp of solar panels produce in South Africa?
About 1,806 kWh a year at the best fixed angle on average, from 1,506 kWh in Port Shepstone to 2,056 kWh in Upington. These are long-term climate averages; a single year can be several per cent higher or lower.
Where is the sunniest place in South Africa?
Upington (Northern Cape) gets the most sun of the 295 places: 6.28 peak sun hours a day on flat ground, so 1 kWp there makes about 2,056 kWh a year.
Does South Africa use daylight saving time?
South Africa does not use daylight saving time: the clocks stay the same all year.
How long is the longest day in South Africa?
14 h 29 min in Gansbaai; the shortest day lasts 9 h 50 min in Gansbaai.

All places in South Africa