60 places · sun position · panel angle
Solar data for Sri Lanka
Across the 60 places in Sri Lanka the best fixed tilt for solar panels runs from 4° in Ampara to 8° in Jaffna, and flat ground gets 5.1 to 5.6 peak sun hours a day. Every number is computed for each place.
Solar power in Sri Lanka at a glance
Averages over 60 places with climate data, for a fixed array facing south.
- 5.12–5.21
- 5.21–5.30
- 5.30–5.38
- 5.38–5.47
- 5.47–5.56
Peak sun hours a day on flat ground. Each dot is one place.
The sunniest place in Sri Lanka is Chilaw (North Western Province) with 5.56 peak sun hours a day on flat ground; the least sunny is Ratnapura with 5.12. A 1 kWp array at its best angle makes from 1,491 kWh a year in Hatton to 1,615 kWh in Chilaw — 1,564 kWh on average.
The best year-round tilt runs from 4° in Ampara to 8° in Jaffna. Off-grid systems are sized for the darkest month and do better steeper, at 14° on average: at 70° that month brings 1.14 kWh per kWp a day in Pottuvil and 1.31 kWh in Vavuniya.
Size an off-grid system or open any place below for its sun path, monthly table and tilt curve.
Sunniest places in Sri Lanka
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 | Chilaw | North Western Province | 5.56 | 1,615 | 7° |
| 2 | Puttalam | North Western Province | 5.55 | 1,609 | 7° |
| 3 | Mannar | Northern Province | 5.53 | 1,602 | 7° |
| 4 | Negombo | Western Province | 5.50 | 1,599 | 7° |
| 4 | Jaffna | Northern Province | 5.50 | 1,594 | 8° |
| 4 | Valvedditturai | Northern Province | 5.50 | 1,593 | 8° |
| 7 | Point Pedro | Northern Province | 5.49 | 1,591 | 8° |
| 7 | Pottuvil | Eastern Province | 5.49 | 1,589 | 5° |
| 7 | Kalmunai | Eastern Province | 5.49 | 1,586 | 5° |
| 10 | Katunayaka | Western Province | 5.47 | 1,590 | 7° |
Least sunny places in Sri Lanka
| Rank | Place | Region | Sun hours/day | kWh per kWp a year | Best tilt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 56 | Kandy | Central Province | 5.19 | 1,509 | 7° |
| 56 | Nuwara Eliya | Central Province | 5.19 | 1,507 | 6° |
| 58 | Gampola | Central Province | 5.16 | 1,501 | 7° |
| 59 | Hatton | Central Province | 5.13 | 1,491 | 7° |
| 60 | Ratnapura | Sabaragamuwa Province | 5.12 | 1,492 | 7° |
Solar by region in Sri Lanka
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Province | 6 | 5.46 | 1,583 | 8° | 1.28 kWh | Mannar |
| North Western Province | 3 | 5.45 | 1,585 | 7° | 1.24 kWh | Chilaw |
| Eastern Province | 7 | 5.43 | 1,572 | 5° | 1.18 kWh | Pottuvil |
| Western Province | 24 | 5.43 | 1,577 | 7° | 1.21 kWh | Negombo |
| Southern Province | 9 | 5.38 | 1,562 | 6° | 1.17 kWh | Hambantota |
| Uva Province | 2 | 5.32 | 1,545 | 6° | 1.19 kWh | Kataragama |
| North Central Province | 1 | 5.32 | 1,542 | 6° | 1.31 kWh | Anuradhapura |
| Central Province | 6 | 5.19 | 1,508 | 7° | 1.28 kWh | Dambulla |
| Sabaragamuwa Province | 2 | 5.18 | 1,508 | 7° | 1.26 kWh | Kegalle |
Largest places in Sri Lanka at a glance
| Place | Latitude | Best tilt | Off-grid tilt | Sun hours/day (flat) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colombo | 6.9° N | 7° | 9° | 5.46 |
| Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia | 6.8° N | 7° | 9° | 5.44 |
| Maharagama | 6.8° N | 7° | 9° | 5.41 |
| Jaffna | 9.7° N | 8° | 26° | 5.50 |
| Moratuwa | 6.8° N | 7° | 9° | 5.43 |
| Negombo | 7.2° N | 7° | 11° | 5.50 |
| Pita Kotte | 6.9° N | 7° | 9° | 5.43 |
| Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte | 6.9° N | 7° | 9° | 5.43 |
| Kandy | 7.3° N | 7° | 16° | 5.19 |
| Trincomalee | 8.6° N | 7° | 26° | 5.39 |
| Kalmunai | 7.4° N | 5° | 25° | 5.49 |
| Galle | 6.0° N | 6° | 8° | 5.40 |
| Point Pedro | 9.8° N | 8° | 26° | 5.49 |
| Batticaloa | 7.7° N | 5° | 26° | 5.44 |
| Katunayaka | 7.2° N | 7° | 11° | 5.47 |
| Ambalantota | 6.1° N | 5° | 12° | 5.39 |
| Valvedditturai | 9.8° N | 8° | 26° | 5.50 |
| Matara | 5.9° N | 6° | 9° | 5.38 |
| Battaramulla South | 6.9° N | 7° | 9° | 5.42 |
| Dambulla | 7.9° N | 6° | 21° | 5.25 |
Daylight and clock time in Sri Lanka
In Point Pedro (9.8° N), the northernmost place, the longest day of the year lasts 12 h 42 min and the shortest 11 h 33 min; in Devinuwara (5.9° N), the southernmost, 12 h 28 min and 11 h 47 min. Sri Lanka does not use daylight saving time: the clocks stay the same all year.
| Time zone | Places | UTC offset | Clocks change in 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asia/Colombo | 60 | UTC+5:30 | no daylight saving time |